


Church AU

by djinmer4



Category: X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Religious, F/M, Power Imbalance, religious triggers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-19 04:52:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 22,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17594963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/djinmer4/pseuds/djinmer4
Summary: This literally was inspired by one panel out of Excalibur.  One.  Single.  Panel.  Warning for extremely bastardized religion.  Alternate universe.  Divergence point was En Sabah Nur being born much later and co-opting the Judaic Messiah myth.  Kurt and Kitty are part of a religion that worships Apocalypse and all that implies.Also, I was messing around with everyone's powers so there's that too.





	1. A Meeting in Limbo

“Father Wisdom?  Sister Meggan?  Is anyone here?”  At the sound of someone shouting, Father Piotr Rasputin opened the door of his cell.  Outside, he saw the young Sister Katherine skid to a halt.  “Father Rasputin?  Is it really you?  Oh, thank the Saints!”  With that, the nun ducked under his arm and entered his room.  As soon as she was in, she pushed the door shut with a slam.  “Oh Father Rasputin, something awful has occurred!”

“ _Was_  is the problem, Katzchen?”  Only then did the young girl realize someone else was in the room.  Sitting in the lone chair, was a blue-furred man, older than either the nun or the deacon.

Katie blushed in embarrassment.  “My most sincere apologies, Prelate Szardos.  I didn’t expect you here.”  She dropped herself into a wobbly curtsy.

“I’ve told you before, just Kurt is fine.”  The older priest placed one three-fingered hand on her covered head in benediction.

“The Prelate has graciously agreed to officiate this afternoon’s ceremony.  We were just discussing the sermon he intended to give.” said the tallest of the trio.  “But you haven’t said what’s wrong, Katya.”

“I-er-um, it’s difficult to explain.  It’s easier if you come out and see.”  With that, she opened the door and stepped out.  As Piotr and Kurt followed her, Piotr counted the doors in the corridor.  Surely there weren’t that many rooms in the wing of the Sanctuary?  He must have miscounted.

When they got to the window and looked out, they saw what the problem was.  Instead of the familiar courtyard of St. Xavier’s Tranquil Sanctuary for the Angelically Blessed, what appeared to be a small, mountainous European village was there.  “When I woke up this morning, I saw this view outside my cell.  I ran to get Father Wisdom, but when I got to what should have been his room I saw you instead!  Or at least, something that looked like you, Father Rasputin.  He had the same height, the same face.  But he looked like he was made out of metal, like a living statue.  He mumbled something then tried to punch my head off!  I’ve been running around trying to find someone since then.”

“Good idea running.”  A metal fake of himself had tried to kill little Katie?  And then there was the view outside …

“That’s not the only copy,” stated Szardos, who had continued to look out the window.  When Piotr looked again he could see … copies of himself, copies of Katya and copies of the Prelate.  Katya’s copies were calm, some walking, others sitting in quiet contemplation.  The Muscovite also saw that most, though not all of his were equally sedate, most of them either reading or painting.

All of Szardos’s copies had swords and were in the process of using them.

“You’re going to need your blessing.”  He told Kurt.

“I’m afraid you’re right.  I don’t dare take on whatever this is without being at full strength.”  The blue man turned to the young girl.  “Katzchen, I hate to have to ask this but … “

She sighed and nodded, pulling at the wimple and collar of her dress until her throat was exposed.  “I’m the one with the least offensive ability here.  Take what you need, but please help me when I fall behind.”

“I’ll keep you safe,” he promised.  The Prelate used his tail to hold his Bible out of the way, then placed his hands on her shoulders.  He leaned down and pressed his mouth to her neck.  Piotr couldn’t see the blood from his angle, but the smell of it filled the air around him, and he had to fight not to gag.  When the older man pulled away (with one last lick to seal the wound), Katie swayed on her feet, slowly pulling the collar of her dress up and sticking her hair under the wimple.  Once she was ready Kurt picked her up and jumped out the window, letting his power give them a safe landing.  Piotr followed, climbing down much more carefully.

They wandered for a while, encountering different versions of themselves.  A dominatrix and her servants, which made Kitty hide her face in Kurt’s neck and Piotr blush beneath his beard.  Some graffiti stating that ‘Katie loves Father Rasputin’.  The Muscovite vowed he’d find who wrote that (a quick whiff of the paint pointed an arrow at Oblate Quire) and he’d have them scrubbing the entire Sanctuary once the current crisis was finished.  A trio of drunkards that caused the Prelate to frown and leave before they even finished speaking.

The only other ones who seemed equally distressed about the circumstances were the trio in brightly colored spandex, probably costumes.  Piotr wrinkled his nose as the scent of bad living wafted from them.  “ _Sinners_.  I  _smel_ _l_  it on them.”

“Father Rasputin,  _please_  …I’m sorry, my children, but we cannot  _aid_  you.”  It’s not like they knew where they were or what was going on either.  Clearly, the costumed freaks didn’t have answers for them.  Kurt fiddled with his Bible, but gave them a smile, trying to keep calm for their sake.

“We were  _delivered_  here, far from the distractions of the mundane world,” guessed Katie.  “ _Here,_  we may be  _pure.”_ Deep in thought, she took out her talisman.  “Come  _pray_  with me?” she offered.

The worst one was a copy of Katie, equipped with claws like Brother Logan from Ultramar.  She attacked without even bothering to question anyone.  She stabbed the Prelate, but Kurt just used the wound to get a good grip on her and slam her into a stone wall several times, until he heard her spine crack.  He pulled out the claws and let his healing factor close the wounds she had made.

“I think I know what’s happening,” said Katie, after they had found a quiet corner to regroup in.  “These people, they’re not real.  Instead, they’re like mirror clones.  An illusion brought to life to make us question ourselves.”

“That’s very nice Katya, but how do we get out of this place?”

She held up her talisman, turning it so that the mirrored side faced her.  “I see … nine concentric circles make up this city.  Three in royal blue, three in pale green and three in dark brown.  I think as we confront our doubles we’ll be able to break the binding on us that way.”

“I already confronted my double.  I punched him in the face,” said Piotr dryly.

The youngest member of the trio shook her head.  “Not that type of confrontation.”  Instead, she walked over to one of her copies, skeletal and bald, with a star like her talisman branded on her forehead.  “What formed you, poor copy of myself?  What part of history was different and brought these changes?  I can see the parts of myself that I hate in your dull eyes.  The desire to give in, to give up.  Yet there are also things that I admire.  The embers of a fighting spirit.  You want to give up, but you won’t.  Someday you will break free of your chains.  And that’s what you all are.  Parts of me, good and bad.  Copies of me that might have been better or worse.”  The ghoul-like face smiled then all the copies of Sister Katherine Pryde vanished.

“One down, two to go.”  Another version of Piotr entered the plaza.  He was bearded, older than their Piotr and crowned.  He wore a suit like a businessman over metal, rather than the rough-spun robes over flesh.  He raised a scepter in his hand and tried to hit Piotr in the face with it.  Rather than return the blow, Father Rasputin simply grabbed the scepter and held it.  Despite the similarities, the copy was unable to free his weapon from the priest’s grip  “Oh, I know what parts of me you are.  The desire for more than a life in the Church.  To take my abilities, my talents and make a living for myself outside the confines of the abbey.  But you are a ruler as well.  You live a secular life, but not one without responsibility and duty.  It is a different burden from my own, but it is a burden none the less.”  Less a smile, more a sigh, and then all the metal copies of the Muscovite were gone.

“Last one.” said Piotr.

“And I think this will be the hardest.” agreed Katie

Kurt was fighting his doubles.  He’d flash around, in the form of mist and smoke, then reappear to strike a blow.  One stuck a sword through him, he pulled it out and used it to decapitate that copy.  Then he grabbed another copy (no swords, just a gun, and missing a tail of all things) and pulled his head back by the hair and bit down on his throat.  Blood sprayed everywhere and Piotr fought back the urge to vomit.

“Monsignor, don’t fight them!  Just talk!  You need to see what parts of you manifest in them!”

“Oh, I know  _exactly_  what parts of myself are here.”  With the sword, he had grabbed he began pointing at various copies.  “You-” to a version within a military uniform.  “-are my sins.  My wrath.  My lust.  My greed for power and control.”

“You-” he whirled at another.  Dressed in flashy spandex, like a performer.  “My insecurities in myself.  Whenever I feel my skills  _und_ strength are inadequate to reach my goals.”

“And finally you!”  With that, he stabbed a copy of himself with a red scar over his eye through the heart.  “You’re all my doubts about my life.  About my faith.”

The copies weren’t disappearing.  “Kurt you also have to find the good in them too!” shouted Sister Katherine.

“The good in them.”  He leaned forward to the one he had stabbed.  “You’re my loyalty.  My bond with my family and friends.”

A swipe of his tail caught the slash from the military one.  “My sense of duty.  My commitment to do the best job I can.”  He dissolved his form into smoke and reformed in front of another Kurt.

The third cut to something that honestly looked like a monkey.  “My humor.  My ability to find light in the dark.  To smile when others need it the most.”

With that, not only the copies but the whole village vanished.  Instead, they all found themselves standing in front of Father Rasputin’s cell as if they had never left it.

Katie rewound her talisman over her wrist.  Father Rasputin went off to see if anyone else has been caught in that Limbo.  Prelate Kurt Szardos simply leaned back, cradling his Bible against his chest.

“I think … I think I will rewrite my sermon for this afternoon.  The value of being honest with yourself perhaps.  It seems …  appropriate.”


	2. Primum Osculum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspiration song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGS3TaHHNBw

_Takes place sometime before ‘A Meeting in Limbo’._

“Father Szardos?  Are you there?”  The knock on the door was too hesitant for anyone with unblessed ears to have heard, but he did.  Kurt got off his knees and opened the door.

“ _Guten morgen_ , Sister Katherine.  What can I help you with today?”  He ushered her over to the sole chair in the cell while he took the bed.  Katie fidgeted with the edge of her skirt, brown eyes refusing to look up at him.

“It’s about … “ she blushed.  “The Choosening that’s coming up.”

“ _Ja_ , it’s your first time.  What are you nervous about?”  Katie tended to prefer cutting straight to the heart of the problem, so Kurt would give her the same courtesy.

“Well, I’ve never done anything like this before.  What if I’m bad at it?”

“Never?  But you were  _zwölf_ before you came to the cloister.  Surely you must have had-”

“No.”  The response was surprisingly sharp and cold for the good-natured girl.  She softened a little when she saw that she had startled him.  “Sorry, Father.  It’s not like I haven’t had crushes on other people before.  But you’ve never lived outside the Church.  Smart girls don’t exactly have boys lined up to kiss them.”

“But how about here?  Celibacy and chastity are actively discouraged among the clergy.  Surely Apostle Remy has had you practice in his class?”

“Yeah, Bobby always volunteers to partner with the murals like me.  But I don’t want to be just another notch on the bedpost of some vagabond like him.”  Kurt frowned at that.  He tried to avoid having people singled out like that when he did the class, but Apostle Remy clearly had other ideas.  Perhaps he should speak to the younger man about his teaching methods.

“I’ve never even kissed someone outside of class.”

“Well,” he reached out to hold her hands.  “That’s something I can help you with.”

He started slowly.  First a kiss on her cheek, then her forehead.  Things she’s experienced before when he’d blessed her.  Then he brushed across her lips, dry and chaste.  She pulled back and giggled a little.  “That’s not so bad.  Almost like kissing my younger cousins when I was at home.”

“That’s not the feeling I’m hoping to inspire.”  Kurt slid his hands up to her shoulders.  This time when he kissed her, he slipped his tongue between her lips.  When he pulled away, this time she actually looked surprised.

“Still not the emotion I’m looking for.  Still, why don’t you try now?”

“Um … You know, outside of the Church, giving away your first kiss is a really big deal.”

“I may have been a child oblate, but I’ve heard enough from older converts about that.  That’s why learning to kiss is part of the curriculum in the sex ed.  Get it over quickly and get the students to understand that kissing, while a sign of affection, isn’t the end of the world nor the focus point of relationships.  Better than having them panic over the whole issue or be tripped up in the future.”

“You make it sound like murder.  And I don’t think it works as well as you would hope.”

“People are only human.”  He raised his hands to cup her face.  This time she slipped her tongue in but didn’t seem to know what to do with it.  When it was his turn he tried to show her how to move it, taking the time to explore her mouth.

Katie tried, but this time something went wrong.  As she started to withdraw, her tongue scraped against one of his fangs, filling his mouth with the flavor of her blood.  Rather than letting her regain her breath, he pulled her close and plundered her mouth again, chasing the taste.  He let her breathe then, only to trail kisses up to her ear, then fall again until he was sucking at her pulse point.

Katie brought her arms up to put some space between them, but he pressed her down and continued to kiss her.  Her resistance was starting to melt away when a knock came on the door.  “Father Szardos?  The ceremony is in fifteen minutes.  Are you ready to give the sermon?”  It was Father Rasputin.

Kurt froze.  He had pulled Sister Katherine off the chair and onto the bed.  She stared up at him with wide eyes.  Her wimple had fallen off and he had pulled the open of her collar.  “I should go,” she whispered.

The older man stood and tried to help her up.  She batted away his hand and fixed everything herself, quickly tucking her hair under the wimple and closing the collar over the bruises he left on her neck.  There was just enough time before Piotr pushed open the door.  She ducked under his arm and left with barely a murmured courtesy.

Kurt was left sitting on the bed, while the Muscovite stared after the young Sister in confusion.  “Was that Sister Katherine?”

“Yes.”  The Bavarian combed his hand through his hair, then realized that it had gone back to its usual curly state.  He probably didn’t have time to put more gel in.  The congregation would just have to accept his less than precise appearance.

Piotr’s blue eyes examined him and the older man resisted the urge to snap at him.  “Was she here for something?”

“She had … some concerns about the upcoming Choosening.  I attempted to alleviate her worries a bit.”  He combed his hair with his hands, trying to put it some sort of order.  “Could you do me a favor, Piotr?”

“I’m not taking this afternoon’s sermon, I hate speaking in public.”

“No.  I want you to take Katie for her first time.”

The taller man covered his eyes with one hand.  “ _Зачем?_   I thought you-”

“I don’t trust myself!”  A few deep breaths.  “Besides, she asked for you on the form.  I’d like her first time to be as good as possible.”

Now it was Piotr’s turn to look awkward.  “I am not … the best person for that.  I won’t harm her, but I can’t … perform long enough to make it a good experience for my partner.”

“I know.  Just do your best.”  Kurt stood and collected his Bible and notes.

“It would be easier if, perhaps, you would-”

“That’s something you’ll have to tell her yourself.  It’s your secret, not mine.  I’ve been hinting at it for a while, but she’s remarkably naive in some ways.  She’s going to have to learn eventually, and it’s better if you tell her.”

The reluctance was obvious on Piotr’s face, but he nodded anyway.  On another day, Kurt would perhaps have been more sympathetic.  But today, the turmoil of jealousy, desire and self-loathing left him too raw to comfort the other.


	3. Promotion

_Takes place soon after ‘A Meeting in Limbo’._

_“Herzliche Glückwünsche!”_ Kurt laughed and poured a generous helping of champagne into three flutes.

 _“Поздравляю!”_ Piotr smiled and raised his flute for a toast, clinking against Katie’s own glass.

“Thanks, guys.”  Katie took a small sip of champagne.  “You know, I really wasn’t expecting a party for this, especially with everyone gone.”

“Why not?” asked Father Rasputin.  “We can have big party when everyone returns from mission.  And small party now just for us.”

“Not that I don’t love you guys, but it seems a little irresponsible for us to be having a celebration while the others are out risking their lives.”

“Not at all.”  Kurt put his glass down and started to cut the cake.  “Someone has to hold the fort while the others are away.  And I read the mission briefing; the chances of anything going catastrophically wrong are quite low.”

“You do realize that now that you’ve said that, something will go wrong, right?” Katie flashed a lopsided smile at the Prelate.

“Ach!” He dramatically clasped one hand over his eyes.  “I should know better than to taunt Murphy!  May En Sabah Nur protect them from my folly!”

“En Sabah Nur may protect them if you taunt Murphy.  He’s not going to lift a finger if Logan does the same.”  Piotr seemed in deep contemplation of his slice of cake.

“ _Brother_  Logan,” corrected Kurt.

“You also know he hates it when you call him that.” Katie teased back.

“Then Logan can join the Church and have an actual rank I can use.  Otherwise, he gets the same courtesy rank as any other contractor.”  Having finished serving, Kurt settled back in his seat to eat his cake and ice cream.  He noticed something odd though.  “Katie, do you want more champagne?  I can top your glass up.”  His tail snaked out to grasp the neck of the bottle.

“Uh, it’s nice of you to buy it, but I’m a little young for alcohol, don’t you think?”

The two Europeans shared an amused glance.  “ _Ultramar_.” sighed Kurt.  “They accept any and all forms of violence, but sex, drinking before your twenty or a penis on-screen, and they panic like chickens with their heads cut off.”

“You’re sixteen Katie.  Old enough to drink here.”  Piotr nudged Katie’s glass towards her.  “Is okay if you get drunk.  We won’t tell and Kurt knows first aid.”

“ _Ja_ , and who better to help you get over your first hangover than a Bavarian and a Muscovite?”

“I guess.”  Katie took another sip of champagne.  “The bubbles remind me of soda.”  Piotr just laughed while the Prelate gave his glass a suspicious look.

After a few moments, Szardos restarted the conversation.  “Katie, now that you’re an Acolyte, have you given any thought to what you want your clerical name to be?”

She toyed with her fork.  “I’ve thought about it a lot, but I’m having trouble deciding.  Do you have any suggestions?”

“Shadowcat,” declared the Prelate.  She frowned.  “You don’t like it?”

“No, I do, just not for me. ‘Shadowcat’ sounds like a sexy ninja who can slip through walls like water.  Not a mirror-image who’s pretty much stuck in a support role.”  She took another bite and thought.  “Hey, how did the two of you get your names?”

“In village where Yana and I grew up, they named me ‘Bogatir’ because I would fight off assaults of Buryat using my blessing.  When I made Acolyte here at Sanctum, I remembered that and since no one was using name … “The Muscovite trailed off with a shrug and turned to Szardos.

Kurt finished off his glass and poured himself another.  “ _Meine_  story is not so heroic.  I made Acolyte at about the same age when you joined the Church, Katzchen.  I was still in the process of learning English at the time.  I came across the word Nightcrawler in a book and thought it sounded cool and appropriate given my blessing.  I didn’t realize what a nightcrawler actually was until I transferred here five years ago.”

“Well, that must have been a surprise.”  Katie nodded.  “I want a name that’s appropriate for my powers.”

“Sprite?” Was Piotr’s suggestion.

“ _Logan’s_ more of a fairy than I am, especially with those wings of his.”

“Maybe something from Ultramar?  The Western tribes must have their own legends about mirrors?”

“There’s Tezcatlipoca.  But again, I’m not much of a warrior.”  They finished up the meal why Piotr and Kurt continued to throw possible names out.  

While she and Kurt were cleaning up, Katie had a thought.  “You know, I once saw this beautiful painting in a museum once.  It was a woman, with long red hair staring into a mirror.  I wish I could remember its name.  It started with an ‘L’, I know that.  I’d like to use the name of that painting for my clerical name.”

“A woman with red hair staring into a mirror.” mused Kurt.  “That sounds like Rosetti’s  _Lady Lilith_.” 

“The name sounds right.  What do you think?”

“As I recall, Lilith is supposed to be a demon of one of those heathen religions. Associated with seduction and the murder of children.”  Between them, Szardos, who was currently teaching theology at the Sanctuary would be the one to know about that.

“Maybe not then.”

“Seduction’s not bad, but infanticide certainly is.  Maybe something similar?  As I recall, her demon descendants are called Lilin or Lilim.  Not quite as arrogant as referring to yourself as a Queen of demons either.”

“Lilin, lilim.”  Katie tested the word out a few times.  “I think I like Lilim better.  Thanks, Prelate Szardos.”

“I’ve told you, just Kurt is fine.”  He ruffled her hair affectionately.

“Okay, then thank you, Kurt.”  She stretched up and kissed him on the side of his mouth.  “I’ll go fill out that form right now before I forget.”

As she skipped away, Kurt watched her go, pressing a hand against the spot she had kissed.


	4. The Choosening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where the author completely rips off 'Eyes Wide Shut'. Feel free to skip this one.

No matter how tough they acted, you could always tell which initiates came from outside the veil and which were had grown up in the cloister.  Outsiders tended to be much more body conscious than those who had been immersed in the traditions of the church since birth.  Full-faced masks, heavy robes, defensive posturing, all those were signs of how uncomfortable they were.  As Kurt’s pupilless eyes trailed over the initiates, he came across Sister Tabitha’s naked face and translucent robes.

Well, there were always some exceptions that proved the rule.

Kurt lifted the thurible and began to walk around while chanting.  Once he’d made a complete circuit, he returned to the center and bowed.  The initiates prostrated themselves in return.  He stood, then pounded his ebony staff twice to let them know to rise to a kneeling position.  Kurt circled them again, this time swinging the censer in a circle over each teenagers head.

One tap to signal them to rise, another to have them shed their robes (seriously what was the point of hiding?).  After a moment, he picked out Sister Katherine’s white porcelain mask with the elaborate blue butterfly painted on it.  Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to those molded lips.  As he straightened, she turned and shared a ritualized kiss with Sister Tabitha.  The kiss made it’s way around the group, with Bobby completing the circle by pressing the lips of his mask (light blue, in hard geometric planes) to Katie’s.  Once that was completed, she stood and returned the kiss to Kurt then stepped back and bowed.

Behind her Father Rasputin stepped up.  Kurt nodded as the younger man (also in full black robes and a steel mask, as if anyone else in the abbey was that tall) placed his hand on Katie’s bare shoulder and lead her away.  Kurt continued to ritual, accepting a stylized kiss from each initiate then allowing their First to lead them away.

When the last of the initiates had been led away, the rest of the watchers began to separate into pairs.  Kurt took a moment to extinguish the thurible and relieve Acolyte Alison of her duties.

In a way, the tradition was a bit empty.  Once, men and women had chosen their partners during the ritual itself, pairing as desire and opportunity let them.  Now, all that work was done behind the scenes, matches made by the computer to accommodate both preferences and genetic compatibility.  Participants were informed three days ahead of time to give them time to overcome their disappointment or to set up a pleasant scenario (or to get a head start on the conception).  It also cut down on the amount of fighting that occurred on the day of the Choosening itself.  Kurt personally liked the tradition of the ritual.  It gave the virgins something stable to brace themselves with as they entered a new stage in life, and made that first time a little extra special.

Besides, it was so much more convenient to be able to schedule multiple encounters.  Kurt smiled at Dazzler, wrapping one arm around her waist to pull her close.  She was only his first assignation of the evening.  It wouldn’t do to be late to the others.


	5. Homesick

Talia raised her head and tried to find the noise that awakened her.  Most of the girls in the dorm were fast asleep, but she could see Tabby tossing and turning.  She clearly wasn’t the source of the noise, but maybe she could hear something?  “Tabby,” the younger girl hissed.  “Who’s crying?”

“The new girl, the one who just came from Ultramar,” Tabby whispered back.

Oh dear.  Talia got up and made her way to the front, where the newest arrival had been assigned.  Whoever it was had pulled the covers over her head and curled up into a ball like a giant pill bug.  After a bit of poking and prodding, Talia managed to see the face of the crier.

She was a few years older than Talia, with curly light brown hair and brown eyes and a round face that nearly made them look the same age.  Red-rimmed eyes peered out at the younger girl, but Talia had to give her credit for not screaming.  Even Tabby hadn’t been quite so calm.  “I’m sorry.  I’ll be quiet now.”

“Hey, no big deal.  Everyone needs some time to adjust.  But would you like to go somewhere so we don’t wake up anyone else?”  A moment’s hesitation, then she nodded and started to climb out of bed.  She was skinny and tiny and barely taller than the eight-year-old.  Talia suppressed the urge to go to the kitchen and stuff her face with something.  She wondered if the other girl (by En Sabah Nur, what was her name?) was one of those homeless mutants that Abbot Xavier was constantly picking up.  Although Tabby had been quite happy to be rescued …

Talia led them down the corridor to the cells that housed the senior members of the cloister.  Carefully counting the number of doors (it was too dark and the numbers too high up for her to read from the ground) she found her father’s cell and knocked on the door.  “ _Tür ist entriegelt, bitte rein.”_ Talia grabbed the other girl’s hand and let them in.

“Talia!”  Gold eyes looked to her companion.  “And Katherine.  What can I do for you two?”

“It’s Katie,” the older girl whispered.

“Katie it is then.”

Talia pushed Katie into the sole chair in the room, then climbed onto the bed with her father.  “Katie’s feeling a bit homesick.  I thought I’d bring her to you, rather than Alison.”

“I’m certainly happy to help you in any way possible.”  He set the papers he’d been grading on the nightstand and came to the other end of the bed to talk to her.  Talia climbed next to him and he wrapped them both up in the blanket.  “Aren’t you a little cold?  I’ve another blanket if you need it.”

“I’m not cold.”  Indeed, despite the thin shirt and short pants and no fur, Katie didn’t even have any goosebumps.  Talia shivered and drew the blanket closer around her.

“If you say so.  Please wait a second.”  Her father dissolved into mist and slid under the door.  A few minutes later he returned with three steaming cups.  He passed one to Katie, one to Talia and kept one for himself.  Talia smelled the chocolate and smiled.

“Now perhaps you can tell me what’s bothering you?  What you miss?”

“Everything.”  Kurt and his daughter exchanged confused glances.

“Everything?” Talia squeaked.  “But didn’t you come from Ultramar?  Don’t they kill the Blessed there?”

“Hush, Talia,” her father stroked her hair to quiet her.  “It might have been dangerous, but it was still her home.”  He turned back to the other.  “Is there anything in particular that you want?  I can’t guarantee anything, but we want the oblates and infanta to be happy here.  If it’s reasonable, I can probably obtain it for you.”

She shook her head.  “No, nothing in particular.  I just miss my home.”

“Well, you can always visit during the breaks in the school year.  The next one will be in October.”

“I can’t,” deep breath.  “I can’t transfer to a cloister in Ultramar?”

Talia’s father frowned.  “Your parents specifically chose St. Xavier’s Sanctuary for you, so until you have reached the age of sixteen or the rank of Mother, I’m afraid that isn’t an option for you.  In addition, there are only two facilities in Ultramar that provide education for minors, La-Salle Academy run by Abbess Frost, which your parents already turned down, and St. Dymphna’s Home for Runaways in New Amsterdam.  I would definitely not recommend Abbot Xavier’s school for you, the oblates and infanta tend to be those with a very rough background.”

Despite the tears on her face, Katie giggled.  “Abbott Xavier wasn’t considered for St. Xavier’s?”

“He and Abbot Lensherr were both candidates for leading the Sanctuary after the old Abbess retired.  Apparently, Xavier felt it would be too much of a joke and bowed out of the competition.”

They sipped their hot chocolate for a while.  “Even if you can’t think of anything now, please feel free to ask Acolyte Alison or me.  This is your new home and we want to make you comfortable.”  The new initiate shrugged.

“I’ll also arrange for you to have a flight back to Windy City during the fall half-term break-”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“It isn’t any trouble.  You’re not the only infanta from Ultramar so a number of people will be making the same trip.  Windy City’s has one of the biggest airports in the nation so we usually arrange flights through it anyway.”

“I’m not sure I want to see my parents again.”

Now Talia was really confused.  “Why not?”  Her tail snaked out and grasped the older girl’s hand.  “I thought you missed home.”

“I do miss home … but it’s not really the same once you’ve been … “ A longer pause this time.

“Go on  _bitte_.”

“Once you’ve been sold.”

“Katie,” Talia had rarely heard her father being so serious, especially outside of his job as Inquisitor.  “You were not sold to the Church.  The Church recruited you and because of the distance, your parents were compensated for the inconvenience.  Most of the clerics, oblates and infanta don’t get compensated, instead, they are the ones who must pay to be accepted into the ranks.  You’ve been honored, not denigrated.”

She hunched over a little.  “Were you recruited as well?”  The older man calmed, probably realizing he had inadvertently scared her.  “I was a doorstop baby left at the Szardos Orphanage.  I’ve never wanted anything else but to serve the Church.”

“Oh, I see.  I guess that explains the difference between the way you and Abbess Frost pitched your cloisters.”

“Yes, the Abbess is very worldly.  Maybe a little too worldly,” he added  _sotto voce_.  “She appears to have joined the Church under the mistaken belief that she could just bribe or sleep her way up the ranks.  Fortunately, she seems to have stalled out at Abbess and I doubt she’ll rise any higher.”

He placed one arm around her shoulders.  “Your parents want what’s best for you.  It’s not easy being a member of the Church in Ultramar and it’s even worse if you’re Blessed.  Once you get a chance to talk to them again, you’ll understand.”

“I guess.  But what if I don’t want to be part of the clergy?”

“You’re only saying that because it’s still your first week and you’re still recovering from the shock.  Once you’ve started adjusting you’ll realize this is the best place for you.”  Katie still looked upset to Talia’s eyes, but she was definitely calmer than before.  They spent a few more minutes in silence while they all finished their drinks.  Then her father escorted them to the bathroom in the hall so they could rinse their mouths and wash their faces.  He finally brought them back to the dorm and tucked them in.  “Give yourself some time to adjust,” he advised Katie.  “If you’re still having problems I’ll make time to discuss them with you.”

When he put Talia to bed, she had one question for him.  “Katie came from Ultramar.  Why would she ever want to go back?”

“Fear of the unknown probably.  Ultramar is the devil’s playground, but it’s the devil she knows.”  He tucked her in and kissed her forehead.  “Be nice to her,  _susse_.  She’s far from home and could use a good friend like you.”

“I will.”


	6. Confessional

There was a quiet knock on the door, and Kurt glanced up from the comic book he was reading.  “Come in.”

Sister Katherine pushed open the door, then closed it behind her.  “It’s still open advisory hours, right?”

“That’s right.  Come in and take a seat, Katie.”  He tucked the comic into the cubby by his chair.  “Tell me what’s bothering you.  Is this about class?”

“No, no class is fine.  Father McCoy said if I passed with a 90% or above on the next test, he’d move me to advanced level in Computer Sciences.  That’s good I like the challenge.”

“Friends then?  According to Talia, the two of you haven’t had any fights or anything?  Or is it someone else?  Sister Tabitha perhaps?”

“No, everything’s fine.  Tabby’s kind of a jerk but I’m used to that.  And I think Talia’s about to drop computer science entirely.”

“She just doesn’t find it as interesting as you do.  So your friends and classmates are fine.  Could it perhaps be Excalibur?  You’ll be fine.  Sister Meggan, Father Rasputin and I are all part of the team.  We’ll keep you safe.  And MI-13 is fairly decent as intelligence agencies go.  If they ask you to do anything you feel uncomfortable about, you can always say no.”

She smiled a little.  “No, I trust you.  Although what I’ve come to speak about does involve Piotr.”

He sat back.  “Ah, the Choosening.  Is something wrong?  Has he hurt you in any way?”  If Bogatir had harmed her he’d take his swords to the Muscovite’s neck.

“No, well, sort of.”  She blushed a pretty rose color.  "He definitely hasn’t hurt me.”

“Is he not performing?  I can order him to have a physical done to see if there are any problems.”

“No, he gets it up alright.  It’s just,” she fiddled with her hands.  “It’s been six months since the Choosening, and we do it once a week, but in all that time I still haven’t orgasmed with him.”

Kurt sat back.  He had a pretty good idea why but … “First, to confirm, there isn’t any dysfunction on your part?”

Katie shook her head, accidentally dislodging her wimple.  “No, I can get myself off easily enough alone.  But with Piotr everything happens so quickly … and foreplay goes so quickly, I barely get aroused enough not to hurt.  Tabby says it just takes too long, and indeed I notice my own sessions take much longer than Piotr’s and my encounters.  Is there something wrong with me?”

No swords, but there was going to be a lot of yelling on his part.  “Just because you take longer than others to find pleasure in sex doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you.  Have you spoken to Piotr about this?”

“Once.  He just said he wasn’t very good, but Father, I’ve never had an orgasm with anyone else.  That’s why Tabby said I take too long.”

“And how much experience does Tabby have with sex with other women?”

“Er, not much?  But she did everything she said gets her off … “

“I commend Sister Tabitha for exploring her boundaries and being willing to try and help you.  But the fact of the matter is what works for some people doesn’t always work for others.  Perhaps you should find some more partners to experiment with?”

“I wouldn’t even know who to ask.”

Kurt knew he should refer her to Remy or one of the others.  There was a reason he had refrained himself from making his interest known and if he interfered now, it would just make the waiting harder in the future.  But something in the earlier conversation had cracked his restraint.

It would be alright.  He was just showing her how good it could feel.  She deserved it for putting up with Piotr’s ham-handed attempts these past six months.  “Well, if you don’t know who to ask, then perhaps I could show you.  That’s what these hours are for.”  He stood up, tail flipping the placard to occupied.

He slipped behind her and started with her hair.  “For example, I like having the back of my neck and ears caressed.  How does this feel for you?”

“Stroking my hair feels nice.  My ears just feel ticklish though.”

“So not your ears.  Let’s find some other spots.”  Around to the front again, one hand tracing over her neck.  Once he was facing her, he kissed her, dry and chaste.  He didn’t quite trust himself enough to stop if she cut herself on his fangs again.  He undid the buttons on her dress, carefully pulling it open.  When his hands passed over her pulse, he felt the sharp intake of Katie’s breath.  “Ah pulse point.  So there’s one.”

Katie raised her hands, unsure.  Kurt took a moment to capture them and place them firmly back on the arms of the chair.  “Ah, ah.  This is about you today.  You don’t have to do a thing but feel.”

As he trailed over her hands and up her arms, he took note of her reactions.  She liked being touched on the wrists, but above her elbows, she got squirmy again.  Then the young girl relaxed again when he reached her shoulders.

Once he’d opened the top of her dress he took a moment to observe.  She wasn’t the bustiest he’d ever been with, indeed her bra seemed a little big on her.  But her skin was smooth and soft, she had a nice layer of padding over her bones and muscles.  Too many of the teenaged girls today were too thin, it was nice to see someone so healthy.  As he slipped his hands down to cup and squeeze her breasts, it was also nice to have someone who was just the right size for him.  Not that there wasn’t an appeal either way, but at her size, she was just so responsive.  He could feel her heart rate speed up and she started moving into his hands, back arching.  Hmm, the back of the chair prevented him from reaching the clasp, so he might as well indulge some other way.  He knelt down to suck on her skin, starting with the pulse point on her neck, down to her breasts, then further, although again, she pulled back a little when he reached her belly button.

Pulling back her realized how hard he was.  He stopped to open his cassock but noticed that she tensed up again.  “Uh, how far are we going today?” she asked.

“I won’t have complete intercourse with you,”  _Now just keep to that limit, Kurt.  “_ But we’ll keep going until you orgasm.”  He finished unbuttoning his collar but didn’t remove his shirt.  Clearly, she was only ready for so much.

“Oookay then.”

“Do you feel good?”

“Most of it.  Some of it tickles.”

“We’ll keep going then.  I’ll start on your feet.”  He pulled her shoes and socks free with one motion.  Again, twitching and pulling away when he touched the soles of her feet. ”Tabby likes that.”  

“I do too.  But actually more people can’t stand it.  Or like it but don’t find it erotic.”  But she relaxed again when he ran his hands over her calves and even started spreading her legs.

He could smell her arousal and it was driving him mad.  But he didn’t want to scare her off.  Instead, he used his tail to open his trousers, then push them down just enough.  He didn’t bother taking off his underwear, but his cock was already pushing through the fly, and the end of his tail wrapped around that.

He kissed her knee, then started to lick the skin, up until he was blocked by her panties.  He took a moment to consider several options, then he reached up and tore them away with a jerk.  That provoked a gasp from Katie and she tried to pull away.  Not that she had anywhere to go, the chair was too heavy to be knocked over and he was already between her legs.  “It’s alright,” he reassured her.  “It was just in the way.”

One finger traced over her moist slit, and then he dove forward to suck on her swollen clit.  “Oh, oh please!” she cried out, hips rocking towards his face.

He pulled away, blowing briefly on her cunt and watching her clench down on nothing.  “Please what, Katzchen?  What do you want?”

“I-I need something inside me.”  Her face was so red, but her pupils were blown, and one hand had moved from the chair to fondle her own breast.

“As you wish.”  God, he was  _throbbing_  with desire to fulfill her request, but he’d made a promise.  His tail squeezed down on his cock and he barely stopped himself from rubbing against her.  Instead, he dove back down, laving her clitoris with his tongue and slipping one thick finger in.  She cried out again, and his other hand was preoccupied with keeping her hips in place.

Thankfully by that point, she was already close and with a few more thrusts he felt her clamp down over his finger and fluid gush from her slit.  While she recovered her senses, he settled back into a crouch while his tail sped up the pace on his cock.  As he worked himself over, Katie began to stroke his hair, thin fingers slipping over the point of his ear.  He smothered a moan into her thigh as he spilled all over the floor.

Once he had his wits back, he collected wet wipes and tissues to clean up.  He offered some to Katie, who took them but grimaced too.  “I think I’ll just take a shower.  Besides, I need to replace my underwear.”

“Do you need some money or-”

“It’s fine.  Since I’m going to get a salary from MI-13 in addition to my stipend from the Church, I’ll just spend my out of my own pocket.”

“Alright.  If you need someone to drive you to the store, I can do that.”

“I really should learn to drive.”

He side-eyed her (not that most people could tell with his lack of iris and pupil).  “You can start learning when you can find someone to teach you who hasn’t been traumatized by your driving.”

“So, never?”


	7. Interrogation

“Was everything prepared before the prisoner was brought in?”  Prelate Kurt Szardos moved swiftly through the corridor, with other clerics dodging out of his way.  The priest looked like a man on a mission and no one wants to attract the attention of one of the Church’s top inquisitors.

“I finished setting up the brazier just as Bogatir brought the rebel in.  He stayed behind to guard her.”  Katie had to run to keep up with the older (and taller) man, but the wake of terrified lower clergy made it easy for her.  “What do you need the brazier for?”

“I’m hoping we won’t need but it’s a good ware to put the fear of En Sabah Nur into people.”  Nightcrawler stopped before the door to the cell.  “Now remember, you’re just here to act as the truthseer.  You don’t even have to touch the heretic.  If something goes wrong, let either Bogatir or myself handle it, just worry about getting yourself out safely.   _Verstehen Sie?”_

 _“_ I understand.”

“ _Gutes Mädchen.”_ With that, the Inquisitor pushed open the door to the cell.  Inside he found Bogatir, sitting across from the prisoner, who had been stripped and bound face-up to the rack.  A quick glance to the side revealed that everything had been prepared, from the glowing brazier to the recorder being plugged in and placed in a stable area.  All of his other tools were polished and ready.  “ _Guten Abend meine Damen und Herr._   Acolyte Katherine, please lock the door and turn on the recorder and we can begin.”

Katie flitted over to follow orders, then settled in the last chair, pulling out her talisman.  Once the light on the recorder was on, Kurt began speaking again.  “Interrogation #####.  Today is November 28, 19##.  Tonight we are conducting the interrogation, judgment, and sentencing of Sister Jimaine Szardos, who is accused of treason, conspiracy, embezzlement and human trafficking of minors.  Chief Inquisitor is me, Prelate Nightcrawler, Kurt Michael Szardos.  Truthseer and first witness for this interrogation is-,” he waved to Katie to state her name.

“Acolyte Lilim.  Katherine Anne Pryde.”

“-and guard and second witness is-”

“Father Bogatir.  Piotr Nikolaevich Rasputin.”

“ _Gut_.  Now would the prisoner please state her own name for the record?”

 _“Fahr zur Hölle!”_ The naked blond woman strapped to the rack spat at him.  Kurt drew a knife from the brazier and cut off her right index finger, tossing the digit into the coals.

“Your attitude determines the unpleasantness of this interrogation and weighs in the decision of your final fate.  It would be in your best interests to cooperate.”  The Prelate kept his voice warm and cheerful.  It wouldn’t do to be unprofessional after all.

“Sister Jimaine Szardos,” she hissed after a moment’s pause.  Kurt smiled.  He actually had enough evidence to convict her already, but he wanted to know if there were any loose ends he needed to clip.  If she thought she had any hope of getting out of this it would make the whole thing easier.

“True.”  Katie’s eyes were fastened on her talisman.  She had tried to describe how her truthseeing worked to him once, but he’d gotten lost about two sentences in.  All he knew is that it worked on a visual basis, and had something to do with color.

“Let’s begin then.”

* * *

“-and now, if I’m doing my math correctly, your organization was embezzling about ten million Euro from the Church per year for the last three years.”

“Your math is wrong,” noted Katie, keeping her eyes on her talisman and away from where Kurt had his tail wrapped around Jimaine’s neck.  “A quick estimate puts the amount at fifteen million per year.  And the computer,” she pulled her eyes away from the mirror with difficulty.  “-backs me up at an average of 14.8 million for the past three years.”

The blue limb tightened drawing strangled moans and gurgles from the blonde.  “I see.   _Danke,_  for the correction Katzchen.”  Yellow eyes narrowed in disgust.  “Bad enough to misdirect Church funds once.  But after a year you and your fellow conspirators were set up for life.  Why keep going?”

Jimaine hissed.  “You wouldn’t know, but do you have any idea what my life was like after you exposed mother’s conspiracy at the Szardos Orphanage?  It might have been the start of your career but it was the end of my life!  I went from the daughter of one of the most respected Abbesses in Europe to the daughter of an executed traitor.  The Council of Karcists closed down the orphanage and sent the children to various other facilities.  People who had been proud to be an alum of Szardos changed their names and shunned me.  I couldn’t even leave the Church to start again!  Instead, I had to stay in a system where everyone knew mother’s and Stefan’s crimes and took it out on me!  Is it any surprise I wanted the money?  Enough to buy my way out of this hole and be safe and anonymous in Ultramar.  Enough for a completely new life.”

Kurt was unmoved.  “You claim you were driven to this?  All I see is a woman who proves the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!  I’m glad I got away from you before you could drag me into your scheming!”  He glanced over at his notes.  “Moving on-”

* * *

“What were the criteria for the human trafficking targets?”

“Ultramar was considered a prime hunting ground, but the actual yield was low.  The head of the conspiracy couldn’t move against Professor X so we turned our sights to LaSalle Academy.”

“Is Abbess Emma Frost part of the conspiracy?”

“Yes-”

“False!”  Katie frowned, scrutinizing both the mirror and the prisoner.  “There’s at least one other female conspirator, but no conspirator has the rank of abbot or abbess.”

That earned Jimaine the first slice on her face, starting just below her eyes, but slitting one nostril and twisting the side of her lips.  “Alright, we’ll come back to that part later.  If the location was not a criterion, what were the standards?”

“We, we, we focused mostly on orphans and runaways, people who wouldn’t be missed.  If already inducted into the Church, no person of ranks Mother, Father or above would be taken; it would attract too much attention.  There was a strong preference for those mutants who could pass as baseline humans.”  Blue eyes shot a malicious glance at Katie.  “Your Lilim there would have been a prime candidate.”

As the younger girl shrank away, Inquisitor Szardos plucked another spike from the brazier and forced into Jimaine’s eye.  Not deep at all, but if she survived this the eye would be a loss.  Even Bogatir flinched from the blonde’s scream.

“You will not threaten members of this Sanctuary again, is that clear?”  Jimaine’s was still panting but she managed to nod.

“Now, going on, who were the clients for your cargo?”

“Several governments and terrorist organizations.  Ultramar was a large buyer, so was OROCHI and-”

* * *

“Name your fellow conspirators.”

“Patriarch Hellfire, Sebastian Shaw of Ultramar.”

Kurt glanced over at Katie.  She looked rather wan and pale, and he resolved to take her to the infirmary when they were done.  Infirmary and then the cafeteria; using the brazier always made him hungry.  For some reason, despite being his favored witness for interrogations, Bogatir never joined him after these sessions.

“Truth.”

“Next one.”

“Prelate Sol.  Scott Summers of St. Dymphna’s of New Amsterdam.”

“False!  There is a male prelate involved but not Sol.”

This time he sliced off an ear.  Jimaine had been a beauty once.  Even if he decided to spare her life and have her healed, she wouldn’t be one again.

The blonde cried, tears from her whole eye, blood, and pus from the one he had damaged.  “Prelate Seraphim.  Fabian Cortez.  Adjunct to Shaw.”

On and on the list went.  “Next?”

“That was the last one.”

“False!  But only just.  She only knows one more conspirator.”

By this point, Jimaine wasn’t even screaming, just making a soft, animal noise with each blow.  The dagger Kurt sunk into her breast barely elicited a gasp.  “Father Bogatir.  Piotr Rasputin of St. Xavier’s.”

Bogatir stood up so quickly his chair tipped onto the floor behind them.  Before the superstrong Blessed could do anything, Kurt caught his eye, freezing him in place.  Certain the Muscovite wouldn’t do anything, yellow eyes turned to the other witness.  “False.  The last conspirator is a woman.”

Satisfied that the false accusation was so easily dismissed, Piotr sat back down.  Kurt looked at the prisoner and decided against another dagger.  Instead, he picked up the poker and held it to Jimaine’s inner thigh.  There weren’t many places left untouched.

“Sister Rachel Grey of St. Xavier’s.”

A heavy pause filled the air.  “T-true.”  Kurt didn’t blame Katie for the stutter or Piotr for the gasp.  Rachel had been one of their dearest friends, to find out that she was just using them had to be a shock.  Forget the infirmary, he’d give them both the rest of the week off to recover.

“Is that it?  That’s all I know!”

“True.”  Katie was hunched over her mirror, though Bogatir had managed to regain his composure.

“Very well, then.  Sister Jimaine Szardos, as the interrogation was witnessed by two truth-seers, myself and Acolyte Lilim, judgment can be passed upon you without delay.  As Inquisitor here is my verdict.  You are guilty of embezzlement, conspiracy, heresy, and human child trafficking.  You are also guilty of grand treason.  The sentence is execution, to be carried out immediately.”  Nightcrawler had brought an executioner’s sword with him to interrogation.  He knew other Inquisitors preferred to either delegate this duty to the guards or use other methods like hanging or chemical injection.  Kurt always thought those methods were inefficient and preferred to do the honors himself.

One tired eye looked up at him.  “I love you.”

“True.”  Oh yes, he had forgotten to tell Katie that her role was over.

“ _Das ist so traurig._ And ultimately irrelevant.”  He swung with one hand, then caught her head as it fell from her neck.  He considered dumping it into the brazier, when Katie stood up, shut off the recorder and ran out of the room.  He was about to follow her when Bogatir put his hand out to stop him.  “Don’t you remember how you felt the first time you killed someone?  Katya needs to be alone for a while.”

“Mostly I remember being hungry.”  Kurt looked over the body still pumping blood and at the head in his hand, still blinking.  “I’ll clean up and wait for her.”

By the time Katie came back, the room had been cleaned of blood and other body fluids, the equipment had been put away, and Bogatir had left.  Kurt looked up from where he was eating a sandwich and misted over to her side.  “Bogatir said you needed to be alone for a while.  Feeling better?”

“I did need to be alone.  And no, not really but there’s nothing left to throw up anymore.”  She eyed his sandwich with distaste and even more when she realized he had gotten enough for two.

“I’m usually hungry after these sessions and I thought you might be too.”

“Thank you but no.  Absolutely not.”  A few seconds passed.  “I don’t think I want to be an Inquisitor.  I don’t want to torture someone ever again.”

“Really?  You did a good job today.  My truth-seeing tells me if they’re lying directly, but does not identify evasion nor gives me clues to the truth.  Besides, today was quite unusual.  Most of my role involves paperwork and interviewing people plus occasionally needing to check on inventory.  Really, I’m more an auditor than a torturer.”

“Isn’t this,” she waved to the room in general, even though no evidence of the last hour remained.  “What you’re famous for?”

“I do more torture than other Inquisitors because that’s what I’m good at, and even then it’s still less than 50% of my job.  It’s quite possible to be an inquisitor and only have to torture someone once every five years or so.”

She didn’t look convinced.  “Also, given your talent with computers and your intelligence, you would probably rise quite high in the field.  Since you’d be the first with a strong computer background, after initial training, you might not need to torture anyone at all.  Just act as a witness for the whoever is conducting the interrogation occasionally.”

“I don’t think you understand.  I  _never_  want to do anything like this again, not even as only a witness.  I’d rather be executed than do that.”  She stopped and looked frightened for some reason.

Kurt sighed and pulled her into a hug.  “I won’t say I’m not disappointed, but that’s alright.  I’ll set it up so that your next internship will be with Father Wisdom or one of the others in IT.  Would you like that?”

Her muscles were still tense and her breath and her heart were racing.  But he felt her nod silently and resolved to be content with that.


	8. Airplane!

“Nnn . . . Katzchen are you alright?”

“Fresh as a daisy, bub, but if you mistake me for Katie again, I’m going to have to rethink my policy against hitting furry invalids.”  The Ultramarine tightened the straps holding Inquisitor Kurt Szardos down to the impromptu litter.  He’d had enough experience with the other to be wary of the injured vampire.

“Sorry, Logan.  It’s this  _verdammt_  fever.”

“No worries.  You just concern yourself with getting better.”  The contractor dumped another damp cloth on the priest’s head.

“Excuse me, Fae?”

“You can call me Logan, Katie.  Never did like the code name your Church uses for me.”

“Logan then.  I’ve pulled all the supplies I could from the plane.  I think we’re set on food and shelter, at least for a while, and there were iodine tablets and other stuff for water too.  I found this too.”  She held out a first aid kit for him to take, and for the first time, he noticed she had changed.  Lilim had arrived wearing the full-length, heavy habit preferred by the Order, but after the crash, she had apparently stripped it off.  Currently, she was wearing a button-up shirt tied up to expose her middle and a pair of cut-off shorts.

“Thanks, the first aid kit will help,” he said, taking the item from her.  Quickly eyeing her up and down he asked, “Are you allowed to run around in front of atheists wearing so little?”

Brown eyes rolled.  She may have been someone important in the Church (he didn’t pay attention to their politics) but otherwise, she acted like a typical teenager.  “You’re the only one who can see me now.  Besides, I’d rather deal with bug bites and scratches than passing out from heat stroke.”

She had a point there, it was incredibly warm and humid on this island.  “Fine but come over here a second.”  He pulled the insect repellent out of the kit and sprayed her with it.  “You’ve been lucky so far, but no point taking more chances than necessary.”

Logan quickly made his way over to see what Kitty had done.  It was a pretty good assessment and she’d even managed to salvage some of the cargo.  “Good job.  I don’t suppose you’ve ever been camping?”

She flushed.  “Sorry, I’m a city girl through and through.”

“Can you sew?”  She nodded.  “Skin?”

“Does Prelate Szardos need stitches?”

“Yeah, and I don’t know how.  If you could watch him while I set up the campsite …”  He checked the kit.  “Yeah, there’s sterile thread and antiseptic and needles here.”

“I can do that.”

“It’s just his right leg that I’m worried about, the rest will be fine with the bandages.  Oh, and try to get him to drink some water and take a painkiller while you’re at it.”

She tossed him a sloppy salute.  “Aye-aye Captain.”  But she opened the kit and started to unwrap the bandages around Kurt’s thigh so Logan let that go and turned to start setting things up.

The night was divided into two shifts, with each of them watching over the injured member of the party.  The prelate was still out of it, but fortunately wasn’t getting any worse so the next day the two healthy people focused on the plane.  “Fuck,” said Logan succinctly.

“That bad, huh?”

“Not really.  Actually, I could probably repair most of this to get us into the air if I have to.  We weren’t that high up and lightning doesn’t actually harm the structure of the plane usually.  The problem is the two components I don’t know.  I can’t tell if the control panel is working and I don’t know if the engine is alright.  Kurt’s the plane mechanic, not me.  There’s only so much I can extrapolate from working on motorcycles.”

“Well, I can check to see if the panel’s alright.  I work with electronic equipment after all.”

“Really?”

“Yes really!  What did Kurt tell you about me?”

“He talks about you a lot but aside from mentioning that you work with computers, he’s generally not talking about your job, if you know what I mean.”  She flushed angrily, clearly understanding the Ultramarine colloquialism.

“That jerk.”

Okay, fun time over.  “He’s actually pretty discrete.  But one time he fed off this drugged up junkie and got really talkative.  All he’s really ever stated while sober is the computer thing and that you were originally from Ultramar.”

“I guess that’s alright then.”  She chewed her lower lip.  “Anyway, about the panel, even if it’s only partially working, I may be able to get the communicator live.  Then at least we can call for help.”

“Alright then.  And here-” he passed her the crowbar he used to open some of the crates.  “If the panel’s well and truly dead, pry the compass out with this.  One more night with the compass and my watch, and I’ll probably be able to figure out enough for them to give a general location to search for us.”  She took the crowbar, nearly dropping it and entered the plane.

She came back fairly quickly, with the intact compass in her hand.  “It’s as dead as En Nur Sabah.  Even if the engine’s working, we’re not going to be able to use the controls.”

“Don’t give up hope yet.  If we can get this thing in the air, the misfit can probably hotwire the thing to work and fly by dead reckoning.  He’s done something similar before.”  Logan looked at the prop.  “I’m going to try working on it again.  You alright with watching him for the day?”

She seemed oddly reluctant but agreed anyway.  Well, she hadn’t tried to strangle Szardos in his sleep, the way the red-head from the last mission had.  Maybe she was just overawed by the fact someone like Nightcrawler could get hurt?

“I’ve got good news and bad news.”  He said the next day.  “The good news is using the compass, maps and stars I know exactly where we are.  The bad news is that there’s definitely something wrong with the engine so we’ll need to wake Kurt to see if it’s repairable.”

“You don’t seem eager to do that.”

“Hey, I’ve seen the guy kill people by feeding off them before.  It’s not a sight you’re likely to forget.  But what about you?  I’d assume the aide to a prelate would be much more invested in his health.”

“His fever broke yesterday and I checked the wounds.  Nothing’s infected and he’s in no danger of dying.  We could wake him up, but he’ll recover on his own right now without us having to injure ourselves to feed his healing factor.  I thought it better to have one person down, rather than possibly having two.”

“That and you’ve got quite a bit more freedom while he remains out of it.”  Katie had kept the abbreviated outfit from the first day and was very eager for any news from Ultramar.  Logan knew that some initiates were kept isolated if they were deemed potential defectors.  Interesting that the Inquisitor would have an aide who still wasn’t fully trusted.

She hesitated.  “It’s not that I don’t understand that Prelate Szardos is trying to protect me.  But he can be overbearing at times.”

Logan remembered the last time he had seen a new member of Kurt’s entourage.  The Inquisitor had barely let the Muscovite Bogatir out of his sight.  “Yeah, I get what you mean.  But we’re too far to make it to the nearest outpost by swimming or raft.  Even if Kurt can’t fix the engine, he can mist to the outpost and get help for us.”

“You said you know our coordinates, right?  I may have another solution.”

“What is it?”

“I’m a mirror mage.  I can contact the Church and ask them to send help.  I didn’t do it earlier because unlike the plane communicator, the people at the other end can’t lock on and get our location from that.”

“A mirror mage?  The last one died a century ago.  Can you teleport like she could?”

The Acolyte blushed.  “Unfortunately I’m still learning to use my powers.  So no, but that will be something to strive for.  Besides, while my hand mirror survived, we don’t have a surface big enough for teleportation.”

“Fair enough.  Only one problem.  We’re near Ultramar and I know the Church doesn’t have a lot of resources in our nation.  How long will it take for them to get us?”

“I … don’t know?”

“If they say it will take more than a week, then we’re waking the fuzzy one up.  I’m not willing to put up with more than that.  I’ve got other contracts to fulfill.”

Katie nodded.  “I’ll ask.  Coordinates?”  Logan grabbed one of the manuals and scribbled on the back with a pen he found in the plane.  While Katie went off to do her thing, he woke up the Prelate and got him to eat and drink a little, along with taking another painkiller.

Katie came back with a frown.  “Two weeks at the earliest is what they said.”

“Well, that tears it.  Help me get him up.”  

Katie didn’t move.  “Hey, do you think if we put the blood in a cup and had him drink that it would be safer?  I mean, he couldn’t directly lunge for the source then, right?”

Logan thought about it.  “Good idea, but we’ll use my blood.  I’m the one with the healing factor.”  They scrounged up a clean cup and a knife, then Logan got Kurt to sit up while Kitty carefully held the full cup to his lips.  After a few sips, Kurt was strong enough to hold it by himself, and by the time he was done, he might as well not have been injured in the first place.

Katie and Logan explained what they had accomplished so far.  Szardos seemed pleased, except for the fact that Katie was wandering around in civilian clothing.  “Hey, I didn’t want to pass out from heat stroke.  Then we’d be two people down and it’s not really fair to make Logan take care of both of us.”

“Reasonable, I suppose.”  He looked around.  “Speaking of which, where are my clothes?”

“Had to cut them off you to treat your wound, bub.  You’ve got a T-shirt and boxers so be satisfied with that.”

“Point taken.  I’ll go check on the engine now.”  Less than half an hour later he was back where the two of them were starting the mid-day meal.  “Engine’s completely  _kaputt_.  Broken.”  He explained when he saw their blank faces.  “Do we know the nearest place to get help?”

“I’ve got coordinates for ya.  But at even with your mist form it will take at least four days.  One there, one to convince whoever’s running the depot, and two to get back.”

The blue man waved him off.  “I’ll just hypnotize whoever’s there to do my bidding.”

Logan grunted.  “As you like.  I’ll take the time to teach Half-Pint some outdoor survival tricks.  Never know when she’ll need them.”

Kurt frowned.  “Alright, but don’t push her too hard.  Lilim’s support, she doesn’t have the training or stamina someone like Bogatir or myself would have.”

“I’ve been training mercenaries for the last century, I know what I’m doing.”

“And don’t hit on her either.  She’s currently devoted to Bogatir.”

“Are you serious?  She’s not my type!”

Before he left, the Prelate fed on his aide’s blood to give himself a boost.  It was interesting to observe.  Logan had seen Kurt feed before.  Sometimes in a frenzy during a fight, warily during an interrogation, nonchalantly during a long stakeout from him.  This was the first time Logan had seen him use it as part of seduction.

He was too far to hear what they said to each other, but he could see how close Kurt got to Katie.  That wasn’t the red flag (Kurt was always bad with personal space with everyone), but the way he kept hold of her hand and stroked her face was.  The flush on her face made it pretty clear that this was going beyond Kurt’s European customs and into what would be very inappropriate in Ultramar.  Finally, when he did drink, the possessive hold he had on the girl (Kurt was usually careful not to touch his victim if he was trying to put them at ease) and the expression on his face when he turned finished told Logan everything.  Katie wasn’t just a mere aide to the Prelate.

When Szardos had misted away and Katie had recovered from the feeding, Logan took it upon himself to talk to her.  “So what’s your relationship with the Prelate?”

Katie must have had an idea where this was going.  “He was the one who recruited me into the Church.  Dazzled my parents to think it was the best option for me.  Since then, he’s been a good friend these past four years.  Always trying to find the best opportunities and training for me.  Very involved in my rise from infanta to acolyte.”

“A little too involved?”

Her shoulders hunched over.  “Maybe.”

“And perhaps getting more so as you’ve grown older.”

“Yes.”

He leaned back and sighed.  “I presume, since you’ve attracted his attention, you’re not an idiot.  You must realize that he wants more than just to be your friend.”

“I know.”

“Look, Half-Pint, Kurt’s not a child.  So if you don’t want him that way, tell him no.  He can take it.  But you have to tell him soon.  I don’t know what he’ll do if you wait too much longer to break his heart.”

“It’s not that simple.  Even if we don’t get together, he’s still my superior, who assigns me duties and missions and  _pretty much runs my life_.  I don’t think he’d necessarily retaliate but it would be incredibly awkward because I can’t get away from him.  And I’m really not certain that telling him no really would make him stop.  He can be very single-minded.”

She was right about that.  “You’ve got some time.  You’re with Bogatir right now, correct?  That should buy you a couple of years.  But you need to decide what you want, and soon.”

The rest of the evening was spent in silence.


	9. A Night in Bed

The problem with sleeping with someone is that it can be hard to match your bedpartner’s preferences.  Take Kurt and Katie.  Kurt likes soft mattresses, warm comforters, being hidden from the world in a cozy bundle.  Katie likes cool air, firm support, and being able to move around when she sleeps.  When Kurt advances to Abbot of St. Xavier’s (approved by Erik Lensherr who advanced to Patriarch and moved closer to Londinium) they end up having to compromise on the bed.  A more expensive sleep number mattress to adjust, one thin blanket for her, a comforter for him and just a bigger bed, in general, to give them more space (and Kurt’s pile of pillows).  Now if only Nightcrawler would stop migrating onto her side and spooning with her.  It was cute when they were awake but annoying when she kept waking up from the heat at night.

Of course, that’s not counting the times her own power wakes her up in the middle of the night.  For a moment she’s confused and disoriented, but the growing sense of urgency sends adrenaline through her veins and gets her wits online quickly.  She pushes aside the duvet and sits up in bed.

“Katzchen?”  Her movement wakes up her bed partner as well.

She wants to explain herself but she can barely think as it is.  “Mirror,” she manages to say.

The glass on the nightstand is quickly placed into her hands.  From the outside it’s a very unnerving experience, she knows this having watched videotapes of her trances before.  She stares into her reflection, never blinking, her voice monotone and unaffected by what she says.  It’s less like she’s reporting what she sees and more like something is speaking through her.  For her, it’s like being dragged into the mirror, unable to tear her eyes away from what’s happening in front of her.  The glow from the glass is irresistible and the speculum is less a flat plane than a window.  She’s barely aware of the pillows being propped behind her back, the sound of the recorder as it’s turned on and the scratch of Kurt taking his own notes on a pad of paper.  Then she falls into her vision, barely having the presence of mind to keep speaking aloud about what she sees.

She doesn’t know how long it takes before the vision lets her go.  It could have been a few minutes, it could be hours.  Either way, she feels exhausted, falling back on the pillows and dropping the glass back on the bed.  When the scratching of pen on paper finally stops, she looks over at the Abbot.  “It’s bad, isn’t it?”  The images are already fading in her mind but she retains enough to remember the fear and horror.

“Do you think we can stop it?”

“Not completely.  There are always some parts of your visions that come true.  But I think we can mitigate the damage.”  He put the pad and recorder back in the drawer and with a flick of his tail the glass was on the nightstand too.  He lay back down, pulling her close and she willingly fell into his embrace.  “You don’t think we should get up and call the department heads into a meeting?”

“ _Nein_ , you had a number of time markers mentioned in your vision.  It’ll be several months before the events you saw come to pass.  We can let everyone have a good night’s sleep before dropping this bomb on them in the morning.”

She nodded and wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself even closer.  “Don’t die, Kurt,” she whispered into his fur.

He leaned down to kiss her hair.  “I promise.  I won’t.”


	10. Libum Juxta Mari

“I think you’ll agree,” Kurt breathed into Katie’s ear.  “That it feels quite different when someone else is touching you.”

“Ah … yeesss … “ Katie threw back her head with a cry.  Kurt took advantage of that to suck on the exposed skin, still careful not to pierce with his fangs.  One hand was firmly around her waist, keeping her in his lap, while the other had opened up her shirt and was fondling her breasts.  Below her waist, his tail toyed at her slit, sliding along her swollen nether lips but never pressing in.

It had started with an off-hand remark by Katie, about how Tabitha had suggested adding a blindfold to spice things up with Piotr.  It had escalated to a discussion about whether it was easier to get oneself off or for someone else to do it.  Kurt had offered to demonstrate and Katie was sure he was winning the argument.

“Just as it’s impossible to tickle oneself because the cerebellum can predict one’s own movements, the same is true in foreplay and sex.  The lack of foreknowledge means each sensation is stronger and has a bigger impact on your arousal.”  He followed up the sentence by stroking her clit with the end of his tail, and Katie nearly screamed.  “Shall I give show you more examples?”

“No!  Please, please let me come!” she begged.  Katie didn’t know how long he’d been teasing her but thought she’d explode if he kept this up any longer.

“As you wish.”  With that, the spade of his tail plunged into her cunt, moving forcefully.  It only took a few thrusts, then the world went white.

When she came back to herself, Kurt was whispering something in German in her ear.  As she recovered, he started to disengage, carefully pulling up the straps of her bra, then petting her hair as she buttoned her shirt up.  As she straightened her wimple, she felt a slight sting on her neck, indicating that he’d fed while she was still was in the midst of her orgasm.  Finally, he pulled his tail free, a slow slide that had her involuntarily clenching down on that appendage.  “I’m afraid I ruined another pair of your underwear again.”

“I’m starting to get used to it.”  As she shifted around, she became aware that he hadn’t climaxed yet.  He was still quite hard beneath both her skirt and his own pants.  She carefully maneuvered herself, until she was perched to the side, more over his knees than his lap.  Then she lightly pressed her hand to the bulge.  He didn’t jerk up, but his hands clenched the armrests and his eyes closed as he moaned.  “Shall I return the favor?”

“You don’t have to.”

“I’m curious.  Piotr almost never lets me do anything.”

She could almost see his resistance crumble.  “ _Ja, bitte_.  Stop if you feel uncomfortable.”

She untucked his shirt and unzipped his pants.  With Kurt’s tail bracing her and his help, she managed to push his pants and boxers down enough without having to stand up.  The teeth were under her seat, but fortunately, her skirt was thick enough that it didn’t hurt.

Huh, maybe he hadn’t won the argument.  Touching her had been almost as good for him as it had been for her.  He was fully erect, the foreskin had rolled back and the head of his cock was wet with precome.  She slid one finger over the glans, and he hissed.  “Gently now.”

She looked up and was surprised by how intense his gaze seemed.  Surely other people had done this to him before?  Embarrassed, she dropped her eyes and focussed on what she was doing instead.

Using the moisture from the head, she began to carefully stoke down, spreading it slowly over his member.  After a while, she reached further down to massage his testes.  It was at that point she stupidly froze up, suddenly struck by the contrast of her skin and his.  “Katie?  Katzchen?  Do you need to stop?”

“No, no, I don’t.”  She looked so washed out against the indigo fur and knew her hands were colder than most.  But the Prelate seemed to enjoy her nonetheless, so now was not the time to panic.  She finally wrapped her hand around him and started to pump.  Or tried to.

“ _Nein_ , ah, not that way.”  He took her hand and readjusted her grip.  “A little tighter than that.  A little more.”  He gasped and his hips thrust up into her hand  “ _Ja,_ like that.  Now start slowly and build up a rhythm.”  After the first jerk, he tried to still himself but his panting breaths told her he was close.

It only took a half-dozen strokes before his cock erupted and he let out a low, needy moan.  Unsure, she tried to pull away a little, but his tail tightened and held her in place.  While she waited for him to recover, she looked at the semen that had spilled all over her hand.  Curious, she raised it to her face and licked some of it off.  Salty and slightly bitter, but tolerable.

She then noticed that Kurt was staring at her.  If his expression had been intense before it was almost obsessive now.  And she realized she could feel him twitching by her hip.  “I think you should leave now.”  His voice was low and rougher than usual.

“Yes, sir.”  She slipped off his lap, his tail unwinding slowly to let her go, then ran out of the cubicle.

* * *

“So how was he?”

“I don’t understand the question, Tabby.”  But her flushed cheeks gave away her lie.

“Oh, come on, Katie,” Talia jibed.

“He’s your father, Nocturne!”

“I don’t want to sleep with him!  Ew!  I just want to know what type of reputation I have to live up to!”

“Fine, then yes we did.  No, not all the way.  Yes, he was very good.”

“And that’s enough details for you, little hedonist.”  Tabitha got up and shooed the blue girl out the door.  “Get back to the dorm before Mother Blaire looks for you.”

The blonde plopped down again.  “But no, really, I want to hear details.  Since you didn’t go all the way … did he use his mouth again?”

The younger girl thought she was going to incinerate from embarrassment but unfortunately for her, spontaneous human combustion was some other Blessed’s power.  “No, he used his tail.”

“Oooh, exotic.  How about teeth?  Did he bite you?”

“I don’t know why I tell you these things, Tabby.  And yes, he did.  I think he did it in the middle of my orgasm because I don’t remember it happening.”  Katie raised her hand to cover the bite mark on her neck.  It had already closed but was still a little sore.

“Lack of other options.  Could you imagine telling Sister Meggan about this?”  The brunette shuddered and shook her head.  “So tail and teeth.  Did you at least return the favor this time?”

“I gave him a handjob.  Does that count?”

“Way to go, girly!  We’ll grind those repressive Ultramarine hang-ups out of you in no time!”

“Tabby, you’re from Ultramar too!”

“Yeah, but I don’t shout it from the roof the way you do.  Now, more information, is he really as good as they say?”

“Uh, we spent most of it on foreplay.  Every time I got close, he’d slow down again.”

“Katie, you spent over an hour in there with him.  Was it all sex?”

“No!  We were catching up on the Excalibur mission reports for the first half hour.”

“Still, most guys even here are just ‘wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am’.  He’s got good stamina at least.”  Tabby traced something on the counterpane that had Katie blushing.  “Does he really have two?”

“That’s a creepy rumor and no.  I could have told you that after the plane crash since I needed to stitch him up then.”

“It’s a fun rumor and some of the older girls, you know the ones he used to teach before Acolyte Remy took over consummation class, said he had two.  If he doesn’t have two, then is he really big?  That was the other rumor.”

“I’m not sure you and I have the same ideas about what’s acceptable.  He’s about the same size as Piotr, which based on our class, is a little over average.  He’s not a monster.”

“So it seems it was really good.  Why’d you come back looking so depressed then?”

Katie’s eyes widened at the shift from debauchery to seriousness.  “I wasn’t-”

“You might have been glowing but your face was pretty damned upset this afternoon.  So go on and tell me.”

“Well, everything seemed fine, up until the end.  Then after we were done, he ordered me to get out.”

“Gimme a play-by-play.”

“I was sitting on his lap.  He came.  I tried to give him some space but his tail was around my waist so I couldn’t move away.  He didn’t seem to want to let go, so while I was waiting I decided to, you know,”  Katie shrugged.  “Taste him.”

“You went down on him?”

“No, just tasted the semen.  I never signed up for a hands-on lesson with Remy and Piotr just doesn’t want to do anything like that.  So I thought he wouldn’t notice but as it turned out he was watching me … I think I disgusted him.”

“Did he like it?”

“What?”

“Like did he,” the blonde made a vague gesture.  “He doesn’t have pupils so you can’t tell that way.  But was he breathing hard or anything?”

“Of course he was breathing hard, he’d just had an orgasm.  Twitching down there too.”

Tabitha snickered.  “Then I assure you he wasn’t disgusted.  Most guys like it when a girl swallows.  He probably ordered you to get out because he wanted another round and you weren’t ready for it.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, oh.”  The older girl laid back down.  “So out of curiosity, why aren’t you exclusive yet?”

“He wants to wait.  Said I should let Piotr get a child on me before making anything permanent.”

“I suppose that would take a lot of the pressure off both of you.”

“He’s already got three kids, does he really need any more?”

“I meant to take the pressure off you and  _Pete_.  How does the saying go?  ‘Two for two’ right?”

Katie nodded.  “Two children from two different lovers.  After that, you still have to participate in the Choosenings but they don’t monitor you anymore.”

“’And five for forever.’  I guess Prelate Szardos thought it would be easier to have you get your first over and done with before claiming you for his mistress.  Then his last two could be with you.”

“I don’t-”

“You know Pete bats for the other team, right?”  The long pause caused Tabby to sit up again.

“No, no I didn’t.”

“Oh, fuck, I’m sorry, I thought he had told you already.  Just, just-”

“Forget you said anything?” asked Katie dryly.  She was blinking rapidly but not crying yet.  “I won’t tell if you won’t.”  Tabby wrapped her arms around the younger girl.  “I guess this explains a lot.  Like why our weekly sessions go so fast and why he seems so uncomfortable about it.”  

“Pete definitely should have told you before this.  I thought he had and that’s why you were so agreeable to the Prelate feeling you up all the time.”

That drew a bitter laugh from the brunette.  “I wish he had.  Now I feel like an idiot; I was trying so hard to make it good for him and now I find out there’s really nothing I could do.”

“Hey, that’s not your fault.  You were friends before your first Choosening, and it’s been over a year since then.  He could have told you at any point before now.”  Tabby rubbed Katie’s back as the tears started.  “Hey look on the bright side.  You can trade him in for a much sexier model, who’s a fast-rising superstar in the Church to boot.”

Katie leaned against the other girl’s shoulder.  “You think so?”

“Girl, believe me, Szardos doesn’t spend nearly the same amount of time with anyone else.  He wants you and wants you bad.  Bad enough to want to be your last.”

“So I’ve been told before.  Maybe I should start taking him seriously.”


	11. Bastion

They fell out of a storefront window onto the street.  An indigo-furred man in a black cassock, a young woman in a blue habit and an even younger girl in a black bodysuit and ragged cloak.  The youngest one took a few steps away from the others and threw up.  The priest came over and rubbed her back.  “It’s okay, you get used to it after a few jumps.”  He turned to the nun.  “Lilim, how’re your reserves?”

The nun sagged against the mirrored window they’d just traveled through.  “I’ve got a few more jumps left in me but unless someone does something to take out Ultramar’s new Guide, I can’t get us far enough in one jump to escape.”

“How long do we have before he finds us again?”

“Ten minutes.  Maybe a little less than that.”  The youngest had stopped throwing up.  The priest nudged her towards the nun.  “I have an idea.  But I’m going to need your help, Lilim.”

She sighed and straightened up, reaching up to undo the collar of her habit.  “How much?”

“I’ll need a mirror clone of Hope and you’ll need to jump two more times.  Leave yourself enough to do those things and survive.”

“I’d better do the mirror clone first then.”  Lilim gestured to the redhead.  “Place your hand against the glass.”  Hope tentatively did was she was told.  “Now pull away slowly.”  The young girl stepped back, and as she did her reflection followed her out of the mirror.  The clone looked around her and fidgeted nervously.  If Hope hadn’t seen what just happened, she would have thought the clone was her.

Now the priest stepped close to Lilim.  The nun pushed her hair back and tilted her head to the side.  Before Hope could figure out what they were doing, the priest had bit down hard on Lilim’s throat.  As the teenager watched, Lilim turned pale and looked faint.  Before Hope could intervene, the older woman put her hands to the priest’s shoulders and pushed him away, yelling “Stop, Kurt!”

Kurt lifted his head, after giving her one last lick to seal the wound.  “I want you to go to the following coordinates.  There should be a transport to take you to Utopia at the last one.”  He gave one last brief hug to Lilim.  “Now go!”

Lilim grabbed Hope’s arm.  “But, Nightcrawler!”

The brunette shook her head.  “He’s buying us time, the same way Cable and Wolverine and the others are.  Don’t make his sacrifice in vain.”  Lilim placed her hand on the mirror and it a sunset seashore appeared.  She essentially tackled the redhead through the mirror and then a few seconds later there was only Nightcrawler and the mirror clone in the alleyway.

The other two had escaped just in time.  The portal had barely disappeared when a large robotic humanoid appeared in the alley.  “Target located.  I have you now!”  The android shouted.  But before it could punch the mirror clones head into paste Nightcrawler grabbed his arm and tore it off completely.  “Chassis damaged.  I still function!”

“Hope, run!”  The older man ordered the mirror clone.  The robot flew above as the clone tried to escape.  Then it landed, crushing the girl.  But to the android’s surprise, the body dissolved and shards of glass and ice speared through its limbs and wings anchoring Bastion into place.  One three-fingered hand tore through a metal abdomen, ripping out wires and gyros and circuits.  “Minor damage.  But it would take more power than you have to defeat me.”

“It’s true I’m not an energy projector.  I don’t need to be.”  Kurt dissolved into a mist form.  “You’re a very powerful robot, but still only a robot.  Let’s see how you do when your insides are filled with saltwater smoke!”

Bastion struggled to free itself from the glass web.  It managed to escape and started flying away but the damage was already being done.  As it rose in the air, electronics started short-circuiting and various portions of its body started shutting down.  As it passed over the bridge, the thrusters that kept the robot in the air malfunctioned, sending it into an uncontrolled spiral.  It finally plowed straight down, destroying concrete and cables in its way.

Logan braved the still swaying bridge (thank you modern construction that isolated the damage and stopped the whole thing from collapsing) to check out what had happened.  “You alive down there, bat?”

A dark-colored mist rose from the water and reformed on the broken spar of the bridge.  Nightcrawler had a few nicks and tears from the fight but looked surprisingly unharmed compared to everyone else who had been fighting Bastion.  Logan eyed his companion.  “Lookin’ good, bat.  How’d you get him to take himself out that way?”

“Thank Katie.  She was complaining about a recovery job where all the computers had been submerged in salt water.  Once I remembered that and Bastion’s chassis was damaged it was a simple matter for me to infiltrate his body and start causing everything to rust.”

“Good idea.”  Logan looked over where the forcefield was beginning to dissolve and the waves of people who had started to run, looking for their loved ones.  “Damn, that was a tough fight.  Wanna leave the crowd control to Scooter and grab a drink before Zemvosso puts you to work again?”

Kurt demurred.  “I sent Kitty and Hope to evacuate to Utopia.  I need to see if they got to the transport safely.”  With that, the priest dissolved into mist again and headed south.  The mercenary watched him go then turned back to the chaotic mass of people.  Well, if he wasn’t going to go drinking, he’d better help Sol and Yanhua organize things.


	12. Cyrano de Bergerac

Kurt cracked open a beer and settled more comfortably into the armchair.  It was going to be a long night.

He heard the door open and the two lovers come in.  Then stop.  “Uh … “

Piotr covered admirably.  “The Ministry has expressed concerns over the lack of a viable pregnancy for the past two years.  They’ve assigned an observer for our next few couplings.”

“ … Our Church is filled with perverts.”  That caused Piotr to break out laughing.  Kurt flushed but it wasn’t like anyone was in a position to tell.  Everything the Muscovite had said was true, just leaving out the fact that ‘observation’ was usually done via a security camera with playback.

“Help her to undo her clothes,” Kurt whispered, knowing Bogatir’s superhuman hearing would enable the taller man to follow him.  The Bavarian closed his eyes.  It would enhance the fantasy.  After the slide of cloth on skin had ceased he continued.  “Get her seated on the bed.  Stroke her hair with one hand and caress her knee with the other.”  Piotr would have to kneel down to do it, putting him at the right height to look her in the eyes without strain on either of their parts.

Kurt took another sip of beer.  “Now slide your hand up to her hip, slowly.  The hand in her hair should trace over her features, down the side of her neck to her shoulder.”

“Do you want me to kiss her?” Piotr subvocalized.

Kurt shuddered.  From what Katie had told him, the two younger clerics had never kissed, aside from the ritualistic ones shared during the Choosenings.  Kurt knew every way that Katie tasted but Piotr did not.  “No.  That won’t be necessary.”  More beer.  He should have opened up the whiskey Logan sent him for this.  “Now move both hands to her back, sliding them along her spine.”

“May I touch you?”  Kurt’s heard that before, the same soft, uncertain voice.

“Let her do so.”  Piotr must have nodded because more sounds of skin on skin were heard from beyond the screen.  Kurt emptied the bottle and opened another with his tail.  He also slipped his hands under his robe, trying to pretend it was someone else’s touch.

“Bring your hands to the front and cup her breasts.  Then circle her nipples.”  Kurt followed his own words, hoping the feminine gasps from beyond the screen covered his own heavier breathing.  A hiss from Piotr attracted his attention.  “What’s she doing now?”

“Kissing my neck.  And her hands are going lower.”

Kurt copied her actions, pressing the cold beer bottle against the tendons of his own neck with his tail and one hand slipping lower to trace the quivering muscles of his stomach.  “Move one hand down to support her hip while keeping the other one on her breast.”  He took a moment to calm down, by draining the rest of the bottle before opening up another one, drinking half of the beer in one go.  He listened to the couple gasp and moan, letting them improvise while his imagination ran wild.

Once his courage was sufficient he started the final act.  “The hand on her breast, trail it down until you reach her slit.  Once she nods, slip one finger into her.”

This was agonizing.  He knew that gasp, knew how Katie felt, wet and warm and how she would tighten a bit at the first penetration before she got comfortable.  His own cock had pushed through the fly and was now leaking precome.  “Now a second finger.”  Piotr was dextrous as a painter, his hands remarkably fine-boned for his size.  Two of them would just about make one of Kurt’s.

“Oh, please, Piotr!”

“Go ahead and enter her now.”  There was a slick sound of Piotr finally penetrating her and her low moan finally undid Kurt’s self-control.  As he listened to the two of them fuck, he gripped himself firmly and started to pump.  He kept his eyes closed as the fantasy took him fully.  He knew what she sounded like when having sex, knew how her arousal smelt and what it felt like to be inside her.  She’d done everything with him except this one act and it was all too easy for him to imagine how it would go.  The way her eyes would widen, her breath quicken, how her hands would feel clawing at his back.  How her inner walls would ripple and milk at his cock while he kept going, to drive her into ecstasy again before finding his own release.

From beyond the screen, he heard the Piotr’s strangled moan as he came.  Barely coherent he hissed, “Keep grinding against her.”  Kurt himself kept pumping until he heard Katie moan, loud and uninhibited.  He waited until he heard her breathing start to even out, then told the Muscovite he could pull out.  He focussed on his own orgasm then, squeezing until it almost hurt.  When he finally spilled all over himself he had to bite down to stop himself from crying out. 

He had a few last instructions for the afterglow.  “Keep stroking her hair.  Stay away from the erogenous zones.  If she tries to touch you and you don’t want it, massage her hands.”  Kurt finished his third bottle and opened up a fourth, waiting until Katie’s breathing patterns had deepened into sleep.  After tucking her in bed, Piotr came behind the screen to check on him.

“Are you alright?”

Kurt looked around.  There were four empty bottles of beer behind the screen, where he had gotten himself off while listening to his gay friend give his future mistress a screaming orgasm.  “I hope it takes this time.  I don’t think I can stand much more of this.”


	13. Purge

Michael tripped and braced himself for the fall.  But rather than descending face first into the snow, someone caught him.  Looking up, he saw the mission leader frowning down at him.  “Sorry, your Eminence.  I’ll try harder to keep up.”

Rather than setting him down again, Bishop Kurt Szardos, aka Nightcrawler, simply adjusted his hold so that he could carry the young boy more easily.  “It’s fine, Michael.  And you don’t need to call me that, the mission hasn’t started yet.”  Kurt slipped one finger under the maroon scarf Michael was wearing and his frown deepened.  “What was your mother thinking?  You must be freezing in this weather!”  With that, the priest took off his own navy muffler and traded it for Michael’s scarf.  “There, that’s better.”

Actually, Michael was too hot now but he knew better than to complain.  The bishop sprinted to catch up with the rest of the platoon, barely even touching the snow.  When the two of them had caught up, Nightcrawler passed Michael to Nocturne, instructing her to carry the younger boy to the rendezvous site.

When they arrived, they were just beyond the sight of the sentries and cameras of the base.  Nightcrawler started assigning duties to the other Inquisitors.  At the end of the briefing, he came and knelt by Michael.  “Acolyte Freedom Fighter, I’ve got a very important duty for you.”  The twelve-year-old straightened up and tried to not look as afraid as he felt.  “Before we invade the compound, I want all the children to be evacuated.  That will be your job.  Two hours before the fighters move in, I want you to merge into the ground.  You will go to the building that we have identified as the creche and you will start bringing anyone your age and younger outside.  How many can you bring with you at a time?”

“I can take four people with me as long as I don’t have to go too far.”  Kurt pointed at where the other clerics were setting up a large tent.  It was farther back from their position.  “Is that close enough or should we allow more time for the evacuation?”

“That’s close enough.  But sir, what if I’m not sure about how old someone is?”

“Then take them anyway.  The medics will deal with them if they prove disruptive.”

“What if there are more kids than we expected?  Or if there’s someone in the room guarding them?”

“It doesn’t matter if your part of the mission ends up overlapping the fighting part.  Just tell the medics after the first run how many trips you’ll think you’ll need to make so we can arrange more fighters to go in that direction to act as a diversion.  If you see someone guarding the children, come back here and we’ll send Nocturne with you for the second trip so that she can dispatch the watchers.  Is there anything else?”

Michael thought about it, then shook his head.  The bishop ruffled his black hair before standing up.  “Good boy.  Your part will start in two hours, so eat something and get some sleep.  I’ll have Nocturne wake you up thirty minutes before you start.”

Michael had a hard time choking down a few crackers and water and he didn’t think he was going to sleep at all.  But before he knew it, Mother Nocturne was shaking him awake.

The first few trips were easy.  There was a guard but they were outside the room, so Michael didn’t have to worry about them.  The kids were scared and most of them were younger than him.  It actually made it better, having to be brave for the little ones forced him to focus and put his own fears aside.  His mother was right, it was actually easier when he knew people were depending on him.  He got them to be quiet and carefully started to merge them out of the compound.  He started with the littlest ones first.  The older kids helped him make a couple of slings to hold the babies so he could carry four at a time.  When they got older he would take two of them by the hands and have two more put their hands on his shoulders.  Fortunately, his merging didn’t require any movement on their part otherwise the evacuation would have gone much slower.

Unfortunately, there were at least three times the number of children than the Church had expected.  So he had only managed to evacuate half of the kids when the fighting started.  Worse, apparently, the fanatics had standing orders about what to do if the base was discovered.

Michael was frantically trying to get the last group out when the door burst open.  The guards stood there.  One had eyes that were wide with madness and the other was all but frothing out at the mouth.  They raised their automatic machine gun and preparing to spray the entire room with bullets.  Michael hurriedly pushed the last four children behind him but there simply wasn’t enough time to start merging them with the ground.  And these were the older ones, all taller than he was.  He tried to push them to the ground but he knew they wouldn’t make it.

And then a whirlwind appeared behind the two guards.  One man lost his head and slumped to the ground.  The other guard was stabbed through the back but didn’t fall immediately.  He focused and raised his gun again, determined to do his duty.

The blade that had decapitated the first guard now sliced through the second one’s arms.  The gun fell and blood pumped out all over Michael and the other children.  The maniac had time to scream, then the sword in his chest sliced to the left, carving itself free of his body.

The Bishop stood in the doorway.  A third man rushed up behind him but with a quick turn, Szardos opened up his stomach with his swords.  The fanatic fell to the ground, trying to stuff his guts back into his belly, and screamed until a second blow tore his throat open.  “Acolyte Freedom, how many more children need to be evacuated?”

Michael swallowed.  Around him, the children screamed.  “These are the last four, sir.”

“Then take them back immediately.  Do not return to the battlefield after this trip, no matter what happens.”

“Yes, sir!”  He grabbed their hands, holding on tightly to prevent them from squirming away and started the merge.

* * *

Once the battle was over there was still a ton of work to be done.  Surviving combatants needed to be executed.  The children had to be checked over.  More transportation had to be arranged, they hadn’t expected so many to have been imprisoned.  As such, Kurt couldn’t check on Acolyte Freedom Fighter until it had already gotten dark.

He found the young man (just a boy really) just beyond the perimeter of the camp, throwing up.  Kurt knelt down and started rubbing his back.  “There you go, let it all out.”

Teary, red-rimmed eyes looked up at him as the Acolyte scrubbed at his face.  Kurt passed him his canteen.  “Rinse your mouth.”  Michael took a small sip, then spit it out.  Then again.  And a third time.  “Do you feel better?”

“No.”  The preteen’s voice was hoarse.  “But there’s nothing left to throw up now.”

Despite himself, Kurt laughed.  “You sound exactly like your mother.  She said the exact same thing the first time she watched me interrogate someone.”

Michael scowled at him.  “It was the only time she ever watched you interrogate anyone!”  Then as an afterthought, he added.  “Sir.”

“True.  The point is you shouldn’t be ashamed of your reaction.  A lot of people feel that way.  But don’t worry, it gets easier over time.”

“But I don’t want it to get easier over time!  I don’t want to hurt people like that!”  Then the Acolyte turned pale.

Kurt felt a stab of disappointment.  First Katie, then Nocturne and now little Michael.  Still, he tried not to let that feeling show.  “Are you sure?  You saved a lot of lives today.  If you hadn’t gotten those kids out, there’s no guarantee we could have gotten to them in time before the guards massacred them.”

Michael still looked as pale as the snow.  “I don’t mind helping out with things like this.  But I don’t want to be an Inquisitor.  Can’t I be like Nocturne, only helping out when you ask me to?”

“That’s fine.  I’ll have to arrange for you to apprentice to a different department but you’re smart like your mother.  There are plenty of other things you can do.”  He stayed silent for a while but the boy still didn’t relax.  “Michael, is there anything else you want to ask?  You know you can ask me anything.”

“Sorry, your Eminence-”

“Michael, you know better than that.  The mission is already over.” Kurt chided gently.

“F-father … “

“There, that wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

“Is it really alright for me to call you that?”

“You aren’t my child by blood, but….even though you’re adopted I love you all the same.”  Kurt pulled Michael Pryde into a tight embrace.  He still thought that telling Michael that his biological father was actually Piotr had been a mistake, but Katie had insisted.  Michael knew Bogatir as his uncle, revealing the truth had done the boy no favors.  “So what was the question?”

“Is it really okay that I don’t want to be an Inquisitor?”

“Of course it is!  Why do you think it wouldn’t be?”

“Well, you’re always saying you want someone to follow in your footsteps … “

“I do.  But I’m not going to force you to take a role you feel uncomfortable with.  I want you, your mother and your siblings to be the best you can be.  If that means you take a different role in the Church, then that’s fine.  Do you have any idea what you want to do next?”

Michael shook his head.  “Then how about you try the visual arts next?  You can study with Father Rasputin for a while.”

Acolyte Freedom Fighter gave him a watery but sincere smile.  “I think I’d like that, Father.”


	14. Chapter 14

“-and that’s it.  It was actually pretty quiet this month.”  Katie finished her monthly report to the Abbot and put her tablet in sleep mode before looking up at him.

“I’m sure next month we’ll have twice the number of incidents to make up for it.”  Yellow eyes narrowed a bit over Kurt’s folded hands.

“Probably,” agreed Katie, flashing a smile at the other.  She stood up to leave when his tail wound around her wrist.  She followed the slight tug to settle on his lap.  Kurt reached up and pulled the wimple from her hair and tossed on his desk, along with her tablet.  “I believe you have the next hour free,  _richtig_?”

“Well, I was intending to grab lunch but that can wait.”  Katie leaned in to kiss him deeply.  The Abbot took the opportunity to divest her of as much of her clothing as he could reach.  The younger woman returned the favor, opening up his cassock and shirt and running her hand down the sculpted abdomen underneath.  His muscles flexed under her hand and he broke off the kiss to moan.  She removed the red fascia and tossed it over her wimple and tablet.  Kurt’s tail slid up her leg and slipped into her panties while he drew her closer and reached around to fiddle with her bra.

Now it was her turn to pull away.  “Wait,” she breathed.  She stood up and reached behind her, then spent a few unnecessary minutes fiddling with the catch and trying to buy herself time to think.  It had been more than four years since the twins were born and she’d been taken off hormonal birth control half a year ago.  Kurt had been very generous allowing her twice the time women were usually allowed to forgo contributing to the Church’s congregation.  Since then, she’d been trying to avoid conception, saying that she wanted the chance to experiment more now that she had more experience.  But sooner or later the abbot was going to notice what was going on and she really didn’t want to have that conversation.  But on the other hand, she had gotten pregnant so fast last time and with twins too; she didn’t want that to happen again.

“ _Liebling_ , are you alright?”

Out of time.  She flashed a smile and let the bra slide off her shoulders.  “Sorry, new lingerie.  Wasn’t quite as familiar with this one.”  Despite the lack of pupil, she could tell his gaze was pulled to her chest.  Well, he probably wasn’t going to say anything this time.  And there was something she’d been meaning to try out with the curves the last pregnancy had gifted her with.  Katie leaned forward to give him a better view and trailed her fingers down his face, over his throat to the indent where his collarbones met.  As she lingered over Kurt’s thyroid his breath hitched then sped up.  “There’s something I want to try.  Do you mind?”

“ _Nein natürlich nicht. Ich liebe deine Ideen. Bitte, bitte fass mich einfach an..”_ She smiled and knelt in front of him.  For all her apprehensions about this relationship, there was definitely something thrilling about having someone of Abbot Szardos’s age, rank and power begging for her touch.  She unzipped his fly and his cock pretty much sprung free immediately.  Katie spared the time to arch an eyebrow at her superior.  “No underwear today?”

“Hit the snooze button too many times after you left and overslept.”  He reached out and started to gently comb through her hair, coiling the ends around his thick fingers.  Kurt always seemed to love touching her hair but didn’t like anyone outside their family doing the same, hence Katie’s decision to always wear the wimple despite it being very old-fashioned.   She finally got his pants off and leaned forward.

It wasn’t quite like what Tabby had told her.  First of all, she needed both hands to keep everything in place.  Second, the position was actually kind of awkward.  She could feel it put a strain on her back despite being relatively young and healthy, and there was no way she was going to be able to combine this with a blowjob.  Kurt didn’t seem to mind the lack.  It only took a couple of thrusts before precome started spilling from the tip.  Katie was quite grateful for that because the skin of her cleavage was actually quite dry and the precome provided some much-needed lubricant.  But it got better after that and she found she liked things this way.  It was more intimate than a handjob but she had more control over everything than she did with almost anything else they did.  If she wanted to stop or slow down, all she had to do was loosen her hold on her breasts and with more of her weight over him, Kurt couldn’t just speed up to completion.  And while there was some simulation from her breasts and nipples, she was able to keep a clearer head.

Kurt was writhing and twisting below her, trying to thrust up but held down by her position.  He could probably have flipped them over and took control once they were on the floor but he was pretty close to orgasm and not coordinated enough to wrest control from her.  His cock swelled a bit more, then finally erupted all over her breasts, some ejaculate ending up on her face and chin, although thankfully missing her eyes.  (That had been a very bad week.)

She let him get his breath back, reaching for the towelettes he kept in his desk to help him clean up.  Katie ruefully looked down at the pearl necklace she now wore.  In hindsight, it made sense there would be more clean-up than their usual quickies but she hadn’t considered that.  A light touch on her chin made her look up at her lover again.  “I know you probably think it’s such a mess but you do look nice this way.”

She’d managed to avoid conceiving again, Katie could afford to be gracious and not complain.  “It’s a good thing I had an hour free.  I’m going to have to borrow your shower again.”

“Granted of course.  Do you want some company?”

“You’ve got to greet the Patriarchs and they should be arriving in a few minutes so I’m going to have to respectfully decline.”  The brunette sweetened her refusal with another deep kiss.  “Make sure to dab on a bit more cologne before you go.”  Before she could pull away, he traced her lips with his tail while cradling her face.  “I’ll make it up to you tonight.”

“Thanks.”  She waited until she was out of the room to frown.  Now she’d have to think of another stalling measure tonight.


	15. The Clone

Evan stopped crying when he heard the knock on his door.  As part of his recent ‘enlistment’ with the Church of Our Savior, Evan had been granted the rank of Acolyte and the right to a private cell rather than having to sleep in the dormitories with the lower level clergy.  This had proven a boon with all the shock and surprises that had been hitting him this past year.

He carefully scrubbed his eyes and washed his face in the basin of water on his night table.  “Come in.”

The door swung open and Abbess Pryde was standing there.  She looked at his red eyes and hesitated.  “Evan, I wanted to talk to you about today, but if you need some time alone, we can do this later or even tomorrow.”

“No, it’s fine Abbess.  I . . . I’d actually like to talk about today.”  Abbess Pryde was easy to talk to.  She was very approachable and actually listened to you.  Which is more than he could say for the man he spoke to today.

The abbess closed the door behind her and sat on the lone chair.  “I heard you had your career counsel meeting today.”

“Yeah, I did.  With Karcist-” Suddenly Evan remembered some of the rumors that surrounded the Abbess.  “Karcist Szardos.”

“And how did the interview go?”

“It was great.  Karcist Szardos was very supportive and had a lot of good ideas for my future in the Church.”  The older woman gave him a penetrating look.  Evan had the feeling she wasn’t buying his lies.

“Acolyte Genesis, would it help if I put this conversation under the seal of the confessional?  I can assure you that I won’t report what we say to the Karcist unless anything you tell me shows that you or someone else will be in imminent danger.”

Evan hesitated.  Everyone knew that the Abbess was the Karcist’s long-term mistress.  But the incident where he’d demanded that she reveal something told to her under the confessional seal and she’d refused was also pretty famous too.  He decided it was worth taking a shot.  He needed to talk to someone about this, if he bottled it up he might go insane.  The blue boy nodded.

“Alright then.  From here on out, everything you say will just be between you, me and God.  Unless you confess to planning to stab someone within the next week, okay?”

The weak joke managed to draw a smile from Evan.  Then he launched into his complaint.  “The Karcist was everything I said.  He had grand plans for my future, like me rising through the ranks to eventually become Pope.  Or joining the next crusade against the African Union or against Ultramar.  Or working on my powers to become the next Oracle of the Church.”

“And that’s not what you want.”

“No, it isn’t.  Up until a few months ago, I thought I was a normal kid in France with a normal future.  My parents did mention thinking that the Church was a good opportunity for me, but that was just one option.  And it wasn’t something I needed to do right away, I still had years before I had to make up my mind.  Now my parents are dead, I’m trapped here and all Karcist Szardos wants to do is push me into the spotlight!”  To his dismay, he was crying again and couldn’t seem to stop.

The abbess rubbed his back and whispered soothing words that he was in no condition to translate.  He didn’t know how long it took before he had cried himself out, but she stayed with him and didn’t complain when he sullied her habit with his tears and snot.  Once he had calmed down, she helped him wash his face and blow his nose.  She also took off her outer robe and draped it over a chair, revealing a far lusher figure than Evan had expected of such a respectable personage.

“I’m not surprised to hear that.  The Karcist is a very ambitious person, and that ambition tends to extend to his family and the people he likes, which includes you.”

“He doesn’t like me for me.  He likes the fact that his project to clone the Messiah was so successful.”

“That’s probably true.  But never the less, it does mean that he’s going to take a personal interest in your life here in the cloister.  However, you don’t have to take the paths he’s laid out for you if you want something different.  The Karcist is very hard to say no to, I should know from experience.  But it can be done, especially if other people, such as myself and Father Freedom Fighter, are willing to back you up.”

Evan thought about it.  “So that means I don’t have to do anything of those things if I hate them?”

“You don’t,” she agreed.  “Evan, I don’t think the Karcist really gave you any time to talk about your own goals.  Is there anything you really want to do in particular?  Or would you just like more time to consider it for now?”

“I don’t want to be like the original En Sabah Nur.  I know he was a hero, but I want to be my own person.”  After that statement though, his shoulders hunched in and Evan collapsed into himself.  “I don’t really know what I want, other than just to leave the Church and go home.”

She rubbed his back.  It wasn’t what his mother would have done but the sentiment was nice.  “I’m afraid that’s the one thing you can’t do.  The Church can do a lot of things but we can’t bring back the dead.  And I’m sure your parents wouldn’t want you to struggle alone during this.”

“But do I have to stay with the Church?  Here, everyone sees me as Genesis, the clone of the Messiah.  At least outside the cloister, people won’t have these grand expectations for me.”

“I can talk Kurt around many things but that’s the one thing he won’t budge on.  Evan, it would be better for you to try and find a role that suits you in the Church rather than leave.  That’s the one thing that’s guaranteed to bring the wrath of the entire Inquisition on you.”

“This place is like a prison.”

“I thought the exact same thing when I was your age.  Sometimes, I still do.”  She stood up.  Apparently, the conversation was over.  “You seem very tired.  If you want, I can have the cafeteria send up some food and you can take the evening off rather than having to face everyone at dinner.”

“Thank you, Abbess Pryde.  I really appreciate that.”

She hesitated.  “Is there anyone you want to talk to?  Or would you rather be alone.”

“Alone, please.”

“Alright then.  I’ll also talk to the Karcist.  We can table your career choice for another year and let you get used to things.  If you see anything you might want to consider, talk to me and I’ll arrange an internship for you.”  With that, she gathered her habit and swept out of the room.

Evan fell back on his bed.  She was right; he felt exhausted.  But lighter somehow.  Even if the Abbess couldn’t fix everything, just talking to her had eased some of the nervousness and fear that had been building.  He couldn’t imagine doing that with Karcist Nightcrawler.

Although he really wanted to ask her why she still felt the Church was a prison.

* * *

“-looked over his preliminary scores.  Genesis’s potential is off the charts.  Even if we never do this project again, just the possibilities that are open to him are astounding.”  Katie nodded, but let Kurt ramble on and on.  She was going to have to put a hard stop to his ideas but it was easier to do that if he’d had a chance to build all his castles in the air first.  This way she’d know what to look out for.

Warm velvet covered her naked back.  Three-fingered hands combed through her hair and then he kissed her on the lobe of her ear.  “I heard you had a chance to speak with Evan after my interview with him.  Did he tell you anything?  He was very quiet with me; I think he might have been overwhelmed.”

“He did.”  She rolled over in his embrace to look at him.  From the neck down, the years had been very kind to him.  At fifty-two, he had the body of a man two decades younger, still strong and flexible as ever.  Unfortunately, his hair and turned completely white and his craggy features and thin face added a decade to his appearance.  Still, Katie knew there were hundreds of women, both within the veil and outside it, who would do anything to be in her position.  “I think your right.  He said he found you intimidating.”

Kurt scoffed.  “Please, I crumple whenever our kids cry over anything.  If it wasn’t for you, they’d be completely spoiled.”

“They’re afraid of disappointing you.  And Evan doesn’t know you at all, so there’s that.”

The Karcist sighed.  “I’m sorry his transition was so traumatic.  The original idea was for him to grow up with Fantomex and Betsy as a normal child, then induct him into the church at sixteen.  Those terrorists put paid to that plan and it’s just not safe for him outside the cloister anymore.”

“That’s the fault of those ‘Friends of Humanity’ terrorists and the blame lies on them, not you or anyone else in the Church.”

“I know.”  The conversation paused then resumed.  “Did he tell you anything else?”

“You do know that most of what we said was under the seal of confession.”  Kurt clicked his tongue against his fangs.  “Not again!  Can’t you at least give me some hints?”

“Some, maybe.  We really scheduled this too early.  He hasn’t adapted to his new environment yet and is really not in any shape to be making career decisions.”

“ _Es tut mir lied_.  But it’s hard to get away from London.  If I didn’t come now, I probably wouldn’t be able to get away for another year.  And he wasn’t the only reason I came.  I desperately wanted to see you again.  Are you sure you don’t want to join my entourage in London?”

She gently stroked his fur, going with the grain.  “I like my role here.  I don’t think I’d like any job that you could give me in London.  Save those positions for Nocturne and Eidelweiss.  And maybe Theodore when he gets old enough.”

The indigo man sighed but didn’t argue.  They’d fought about it before and the pain of that initial separation still hurt.  “Anyway, it’s fine.  I think it will take another year before Evan’s fully settled in.  You can come back then and discuss it some more.”

“But did he like any of my ideas?  I couldn’t tell if he actually thought they were good or if he was just humoring me.”

“Honestly, I think they didn’t fit him very well.  He didn’t raise any specific objections but he seems to find the spotlight very stressful.  He may change his mind in a year but for now, it might be better to expose him to quieter, less people-oriented fields.  Archiving and library services come to mind.”

“Another one for your IT then.  I can’t say I’m not disappointed but if that’s what he wants, we can accommodate that.”

“Now don’t be that way.  You’ve picked out plenty of good people over the years.  Bogatir is now the premier painter of the Church, a modern day Michaelangelo.  And Bluebelle is rapidly rising through the ranks too.  If she was outside the veil, she’d be a rock star of some sort.”

“I don’t think it matches the number of underachievers I’ve also tried to encourage.  Nocturne doesn’t seem to want to move beyond being someone’s assistant.  Damien could do great things against Ultramar, but chooses to stay on the Southern Front instead.  I thought Michael was ambitious like me, but after he fathered his five children, he’s stayed here as the head of St. Xavier’s IT.  I mean, I’m glad they’re all happy with the lives they’ve chosen, but it seems odd that they’re satisfied with what they have when they could have been so much more.”

“Are you including me in that category?”

He winced.  “Maybe?  I dreamed that you’d be right beside me while I climbed the ranks of Hierarchy.  Now I’m a Karcist and head of the Inquisition and one of the top five most powerful people in the Church.  And your still here at St. Xavier’s.”

“Kurt … “ He never did seem to understand why so many of his proteges and children preferred to stay in the background.  She stretched up to kiss him and end the argument.  Fighting about it wouldn’t help her get Evan what he wanted.  “You just have the bad luck to be surrounded by introverts, that’s all.  Besides, Theodore might follow in your footsteps still.”  She didn’t mention that many of them were like that because of him.  He wouldn’t believe her anyway.

“I suppose.  But back to Evan.  I can come back in a year to interview him again after you think he’s settled down.  Were there any paths he wanted to know more about?”

“Not really.  He hadn’t thought that far ahead yet.  All he really wanted to do was go home.”  Kurt stilled, and she realized she had spoken one sentence too many.

“The Council of Karcists will not approve of the Second Coming of our Lord choosing to leave the institute that he founded.  Now that we’ve seen that En Nur Sabah can be successfully cloned, we don’t need to force Evan to any particular path.  But he will remain within the cloister, one way or another.”  It was chilling how calm he was about the whole thing.

Katie tried to backtrack.  “He didn’t mean it like that, Kurt.  It was just that he misses his parents very much and wishes he could see them again.”

“Oh, that’s more understandable.”  The chill in the room dispersed and she felt like she could breathe again.  “I don’t actually miss Margali or Stefan or Jimaine that much but I remember how hard Talia took Wanda’s leaving and how homesick you were for the first year.”  He pulled her close and rested his head on her curls.  “In fact, maybe we should reach out to him in a greater manner.  You can do a great deal as the Abbess, but I’d be able to intervene a bit more if we actually adopted Evan.  Do you think he would like that?”

Katie was pretty sure that Evan would find that idea horrifying but that would not be the right thing to say at this point.  “I’ll bring it up with him.”

“Hmm.”  Kurt’s breathing deepened as he drifted off to sleep.  But Katie was awake long after that, thinking … doubting … 


End file.
